With a flash, the four of them appeared in open space.
"Hmph, I knew the food on that planet was terrible. No point keeping a planet like that," Sidra said with a grin.
"You just… destroyed the whole planet?" Broly asked, turning to him.
"As a God of Destruction, it's our duty to erase useless worlds," Sidra replied simply. "That's the job."
Broly nodded—got it.
Majin Buu only scratched his head. What counts as "useless," exactly? Could you say that part out loud?
"But in your Universe 18," Sidra added, "there's only that white world for now, so you won't be working yet. What you need most is a Supreme Kai—the creator god. Supreme Kais make planets and life."
"I've met one," Broly said.
"From another universe, I'm sure," Sidra chuckled. "Soon you'll have your own. When that Supreme Kai appears, your lives will be linked—one falls, the other goes with it."
Broly lifted his eyes and scratched at his hair.
"Exactly," Sidra said. "Life-linked."
"Ken told me," Broly nodded.
"Come on, let's try another world and see if their food is any better," Sidra said, waving them along.
Broly and Buu agreed as readily as two blank slates. Whatever you say. That last planet tasted awful anyway.
They streaked off toward the next star.
…
Universe 7, Galactic Patrol HQ.
In Tights's room, she sat at her desk, focused on tapping out today's chapter on her laptop. She hit upload to Qidian…
The spinner just kept spinning.
"Ugh, bad signal again?" she sighed. "What can you do? The Galactic Patrol base is a long way from Earth. The link drops sometimes."
She flagged the tech department to take a look. They said it would take at least a week to fully stabilize the line. Still, uploads usually went through after a few spins, so she wasn't panicking.
Taking the opening, Tights pulled out her phone and video-called her mom like she did every day.
"The number you dialed is not in service."
"…Huh?"
She blinked. What's with today? Is Earth's signal that bad?
Tights stepped out and headed for the techs.
"Everything's normal on our end," they reported after checking the HQ network. "No faults."
"Then why can't I reach Earth?" she asked.
"Let's see." A tech began pulling feeds—and then simply froze, color draining from his face.
"Well?" Tights felt a pit open in her stomach.
"This—this has to be a joke…" he stammered, pointing at Earth on the display. "Why does Earth… look like this?"
Others crowded in. On-screen, Earth looked like doomsday had come and gone.
Tights stared, thunderstruck, and collapsed into the nearest chair. Her face went paper-white.
What happened to Earth?
"Isn't Earth assigned to Jaco? Get him here!" someone said.
Jaco arrived fast, studied the screen, and looked completely lost.
No wars on record… so how did a perfectly fine planet turn into a dead rock?
"Any survivors?" he asked the techs.
"None detected. No human life, no animals, not even plants. Nothing," came the report.
"Was it those Saiyans?" Jaco muttered, still salty.
"You mean Ken and Broly?" Tights forced herself to focus.
"Who else?" Jaco said. "How else does Earth end up like this?"
"Impossible. Absolutely not them!" Tights shot back. "They're good kids. They wouldn't."
"Then explain the dead planet," Jaco said flatly.
"I'm going back to see for myself," Tights said.
"Don't be stupid. Whatever nuked that world might still be there," Jaco warned.
"I don't care. My parents and my sister are there. I need to know." Her face had no color at all.
Oh—and my novel… Do I still update? If it's really the end of the world, were those 400k words for nothing?
"Fine. But you follow my orders. No solo heroics," Jaco said, jaw tight.
Tights nodded hard, eyes wet.
Jaco requested authorization. The Galactic King, alarmed by the report, assigned extra hands.
A patrol ship launched toward Earth at top speed, arriving a few hours later.
The planet hung below them like a corpse—no green anywhere, skies smeared gray, the oceans dulled to lifeless sludge.
"How does a world go like this? We checked it just the other day," a patrolman murmured.
"I literally updated yesterday…" Tights whispered, panic swelling. "Jaco, take me to West City. I'm going home."
Jaco held her gaze, then steered the ship to the stored coordinates.
They stopped above "West City."
Tights looked down at a field of unfamiliar ruins and rounded on Jaco. "This isn't West City! I know my own streets. The buildings are nothing like it!"
"Strange… really strange," Jaco muttered. "These are the right coordinates."
"Squad Leader, there's something else," a tech added. "We're detecting something called nuclear radiation—extremely harmful to humans."
"Nuclear… radiation?" Jaco blinked.
"What? That's impossible," Tights said. "Those weapons were completely scrapped centuries ago."
"Scrapped how?" Jaco asked.
"Through advanced tech—every nuclear weapon, even reactors and related infrastructure, were eliminated," Tights said. "It was a huge step for humanity. And my great-grandfather's generation invented a new energy to replace nuclear entirely."
"According to our analysis, Earth was destroyed by nuclear arms," the tech said. "The planet is bathed in residual radiation. Preliminary estimate: the destruction happened about 300 years ago. The radiation is already low."
"What? Three hundred years—on this Earth?" Tights gave a laugh that almost broke. "I was on a video call with my parents yesterday. I uploaded a chapter yesterday. And you're telling me this Earth died three centuries ago?"
"That's what the readings say…" Even the tech sounded unsure now.
"Jaco, what is going on?" Tights demanded.
"I… don't know," he admitted. "Suit up. We'll take a look."
They set down. Jaco and Tights donned rad suits and stepped onto the ash-quiet surface.
The more Tights saw, the less it matched anything she knew. It was beyond her frame of reference—beyond Jaco's, too. He ordered samples of soil and rubble for study.
Thirty minutes later, the ship lifted back into space.
"Not even sci-fi dares pull this," Tights groaned. "Three hundred years? Are you trying to comfort me?"
"We've got no reason to lie," Jaco said. "I want answers as much as you."
"What about my mom and dad and my sister?" Tights asked, then added, "And what about my nearly 400k-word novel?"
Jaco stared. …Somehow the family ranked below the manuscript.
After a beat, he sighed. "Tights, you're a writer worthy of respect."
…
Universe 11, Pride Planet.
After more than three hours of flight, Ken and Merus arrived over the world.
"First, we find Jiren," Merus said, staff in hand, searching with care.
Ken had already returned the staff—he'd only been teasing. If he wanted one, he'd rather have Vados's anyway.
"Got him. There," Merus pointed toward a deep mountain forest, studying Jiren closely through the crystal.
Two minutes passed.
"He's not a beauty, you know," Ken said.
Merus: …
"I'm reading his face. He does look like a good man," Merus said, a touch excited.
"You can tell that by his face?" Ken raised a brow. "You do physiognomy now?"
"Meet enough people and you can read the basics," Merus said, confident. "I can tell good from bad."
"What about Zamasu?" Ken asked.
"…Why bring up Zamasu?" Merus blinked.
"Just asking. Don't want to answer? Forget it," Ken said lightly.
Merus wiped a nervous bead of sweat, thought a moment, then offered, "From his features? He's… fine. Fruits from the Core World that become Supreme Kais are all top-grade, after all."
"Mm-hmm. Can those fruits be eaten? Will they make you immortal?" Ken said offhandedly.
Merus decided silence was best.
"I don't like him," Ken went on. "There's a streak in him—call it a rebel's bone. One day he'll do something earth-shaking, and the gods will feel the impact."
"Ken, maybe go help Tights with her novel," Merus joked.
"You do jokes now," Ken laughed.
"This Jiren is a solid Supreme Kai candidate," Merus said, the more he looked, the more he liked. "Even his looks fit, a little."
"Explain how those lightbulb eyes fit a Supreme Kai," Ken deadpanned.
Merus ignored him. I'm just supplying a reason.
"So how do we approach him?" Ken asked.
"The straightforward way—pay him a visit," Merus said.
"Under what identity?" Ken asked.
"As a trainee angel. What else?" Merus replied.
"And if he's not interested? You going to knock him out and drag him back for training?" Ken said.
Merus: …
I'm cultivating a Supreme Kai, not breaking a God of Destruction.
"With your current strength, knocking him out wouldn't be hard, right?" Ken added.
Merus bit his tongue. I am an angel. I can handle a mortal.
Then he caught himself. Wait—no. Don't let him lead you into a ditch.
"Don't say a word," Merus pleaded. "Just watch."
"Deal. I'll be quiet," Ken said.
"Thank you," Merus said politely.
They descended to Jiren's doorstep.
The place was like a hidden hermitage—a freestanding home with its own grounds. Jiren hovered in meditation, eyes closed, sensing sky and earth.
He jolted an instant, glanced their way, and saw them land.
He said nothing, expression unreadable, and looked toward the door as Merus knocked.
"Anyone home?" Merus called.
Jiren: …
"Mr. Jiren, are you in?" Merus asked courteously.
We just made eye contact in the air, Jiren thought. How am I supposed to answer that?
He walked to the door and opened it.
Merus bowed. Jiren looked him over—robe, staff, bearing—and placed him easily.
"What's your relation to Marcarita?" Jiren asked.
"I'm Merus, a trainee angel—Marcarita's younger brother," he answered.
"What do you need?" Jiren asked.
"I'm here to invite you to serve as my trainee Supreme Kai," Merus said, straight to the point. "Would you be willing, Mr. Jiren?"
[End of Chapter]
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