"Okay, I'll send them back one by one," Goku said, stepping forward to take Rohl's hand.
"Much appreciated," Rohl replied politely.
"We're off," Goku said, waving to Ken.
Rohl waved as well.
Whoosh!
Goku twisted the Time Ring on his finger and vanished on the spot.
Less than a minute later, he returned and flashed Ken a thumbs-up.
After that, Goku sent Daru and Paibu back to their respective timelines as well.
While Goku was away, the Grand Priestess looked at Ken with obvious anticipation, as though she wanted to say something but was holding back.
"Something wrong?" Ken narrowed his eyes.
"You said before that once you absorbed their energy, you'd pass some of it to me so I could take revenge," the Grand Priestess said, biting her lip and putting on a pitiful look.
"Did I ever say that?" Ken raised an eyebrow.
"I knew you'd say that. That's why I made a recording." The Grand Priestess took out her staff and replayed what Ken had said earlier.
Ken watched the recording with a faint smile, amusement flickering across his face.
This was what had been recorded:
"I'm serious, Ken," the Grand Priestess had pleaded. "Once I settle things in the Demon Realm, I'll return all the energy to you."
"Bring the other three incarnations here first," Ken had replied with a light smile, never actually agreeing.
But to the Grand Priestess, his tone at the time had sounded close enough to a promise.
That was why she had let herself hope.
"That's it?" Ken asked, squinting at her.
"Yes. From your tone alone, it was obvious you had agreed," the Grand Priestess said with a nod.
"Did I ever clearly say yes?" Ken laughed.
You're supposed to be the strongest goddess in all the universes, and this is how you think?
Even Ken found it a little ridiculous.
The Grand Priestess was left speechless.
"Besides, even if I had agreed, what could you do if I changed my mind?" Ken said, lightly patting her smooth cheek twice.
"I… I'll fight you!" Furious at being toyed with, the Grand Priestess lunged at him and bit down hard on his shoulder.
Ken was not the type to just take that. He released the faintest trace of angel power.
"Ahhh!"
The Grand Priestess let out a scream. It felt like her teeth were about to shatter, and the pain drained all color from her face.
"My energy's fully restored now," Ken said thoughtfully, raising a hand toward her from afar. "You're not much use to me anymore. Maybe I should just erase you."
The Grand Priestess's face changed several times in an instant. Trembling in fear, she frantically waved her hands, utterly helpless.
"Don't… Ken… no matter what, I'm still your mother-in-law," she said in despair, clinging to the last identity she had left to bargain with.
"That's… actually a fair point." Ken fell into thought.
In truth, he was only scaring her. He had no real intention of erasing her.
No matter what, she was still the Grand Priest's wife and Vados's mother.
If he really got rid of her, how would he face Vados and the others afterward?
"But keeping you by my side feels like living next to a ticking bomb," Ken said, frowning again. "I can't trust you."
"I… I can stay inside your body, just like Amarella does," the Grand Priestess hurriedly suggested. "If I'm inside you, you can control me easily with your angel power. That should be acceptable, right?"
Even as she said it, a little spark of excitement stirred inside her.
Once I'm inside your body, I can study your angel power. Sooner or later, I'll crack it.
And once I do, I can absorb your angel power again.
"Don't let her in. She's obviously up to no good," Amarella warned from inside Ken's body.
"I don't like the idea of you entering my body," Ken replied. "I prefer entering yours."
The Grand Priestess blinked. "????"
Amarella also fell silent for a moment, apparently pondering the deeper meaning of that sentence.
"You want to enter my body? Fine. You're welcome anytime," the Grand Priestess agreed without hesitation.
"We'll talk about that another time." Ken grinned.
For a goddess, she really was slow to catch on to certain things.
"For now, you go in first." Ken beckoned to her.
"Fine." The Grand Priestess nodded and turned into a brilliant stream of starlike light, diving toward Ken.
Pop!
In an instant, she entered Ken's body and appeared beside Amarella.
"Amarella, fancy meeting you here again," the Grand Priestess said with a cold smile.
Amarella said nothing.
She was speechless.
Wasn't I just telling you not to let her in? Then why did you let her in anyway?
She clearly has bad intentions.
After entering Ken's body, the Grand Priestess suddenly discovered a warm and beautifully crafted castle.
"Amarella, I didn't expect you to build such a cozy palace in here," she said with a sigh of admiration. "Not bad. From today on, though, it belongs to me."
With that, she headed toward the castle without the slightest hesitation.
Amarella let out a helpless sigh. She could hardly refuse.
But after only two steps, the Grand Priestess suddenly ran into an invisible wall and smacked straight into it.
"Ah!"
Her cry was actually rather pleasant to the ear.
"Ken, what is this thing you set up?" the Grand Priestess demanded.
"Nothing much," Ken said, manifesting inside his own body and appearing in front of her. "It just restricts your movement."
"What? Restricts my movement?" The Grand Priestess's face changed.
"Inside my body, you can only move within a one-meter circle." Ken pointed at her feet.
Snap!
A ring of golden light appeared beneath her.
Its diameter was only one meter.
It was such a tiny space that if the Grand Priestess moved carelessly, part of her body would brush the edge and get squashed out of shape.
"You… you can't do this to me!" she cried in panic.
If I'm trapped in a circle like this, how am I supposed to study his angel power?
"It's fine," Ken said with a smile. "Contribute something useful, and I'll upgrade your movement area."
"Contribute what?" the Grand Priestess asked blankly.
"At the moment, I don't have anything suitable for you to do. I'll tell you when I think of something."
With that, Ken stopped paying attention to her and vanished in an instant.
"Get back here!" the Grand Priestess shouted.
But Ken ignored her completely.
Amarella finally let out a small sigh of relief.
So you weren't actually going to let her run wild inside your body.
You'd already planned for this.
Whoosh!
Just as the Grand Priestess was brought under control, Goku returned through the Time Ring.
"Ken, I sent them all back," Goku said with a laugh, scratching his head. "I didn't expect time travel to be this fun. This ring is way easier to use than Trunks's Time Machine. Every time I ride Trunks's machine, I get so dizzy I feel like I'm going to throw up."
"If you're dizzy and nauseous, that sounds more like pregnancy," Ken said with a laugh.
"Huh? Really? That's what pregnancy feels like?" Goku stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I've never been pregnant, so I wouldn't know."
Ken: "…"
"Oh, right. Is one of these rings connected to Trunks's timeline?" Goku asked, changing the subject as he pointed at the rings in the box.
Ken had nothing to hide and pointed out the ring that belonged to Trunks's timeline.
"So I can use this ring to go to Trunks's timeline, right?" Goku's eyes lit up.
"That's right. But try not to go messing with the past in other timelines," Ken said, deliberately warning him.
As for Trunks's timeline, Goku could change whatever he wanted there.
After all, Trunks's timeline was a parallel timeline. The moment the Time Machine entered this era, time had already branched off and created a brand-new timeline.
So even if Goku altered that one, it would not affect the present timeline.
"I'll drop by and see Trunks sometime." Goku examined the ring for a moment, then put it back.
Ken said nothing.
Since he had already handed the rings over to Goku, there was no problem with leaving them in Goku's care.
"Need anything else from me?" Goku asked.
"No. You can head back," Ken said with a smile.
"If you ever need me, just call. As long as it's something I can handle, I'll be here right away." Goku waved at Ken.
Then he disappeared again.
The Grand Priestess was seething.
"That bastard! After everything I did for him, he didn't even ask where I went!"
I'm the one who taught you Kai Kai.
When you left, didn't you notice someone was missing?
You couldn't even ask one question?
The Grand Priestess felt utterly stabbed in the heart.
I raised an ungrateful wretch!
After that, Ken spent some time stabilizing the angel power he had absorbed, bringing his level firmly up to 76.
But even at level 76, Ken felt it was nowhere near enough.
Level 76 still wasn't safe from being erased by Zeno-sama.
And against the gods of the Demon Realm, 76 was still far too weak.
Any random Demon Supreme Kai could kill him instantly.
So Ken decided to devote the coming period to training properly and pushing his strength even further.
Unless he could pull far ahead, he would only end up getting crushed.
In the end, Ken decided to return to Earth and train there. Compared to everywhere else, Earth still suited him best.
Tap!
Ken lightly struck the ground with his staff, and a brilliant, starlike aura burst from his body.
Whoosh!
He turned into a streak of light and shot into the starry sky, vanishing in moments.
Once he returned to Earth, Ken began a new round of training.
…
Universe 6, Planet Sadala.
Cabba, Caulifla, and Frost stepped off their spaceship, glaring at each other with clenched teeth and ugly expressions.
"I'm not letting that guy get away with this!" Frost said, balling his fists.
"Are we still going to Earth?" Cabba asked, turning to Caulifla.
"If we go now, he'll just spot us and send us right back again," Caulifla said. "There's no point repeating something useless."
"You're right." Cabba nodded.
"So we're not going?" Frost asked, clearly unwilling to let it go.
"We are. Of course we are," Caulifla said after thinking it over. "Just not now. We wait a few days first."
"Fine. Just make sure you call me when you leave," Frost said, offering no objection.
If they set out for Earth again right now and that guy named Goku noticed them, he might send their spaceship back all over again.
Then they would be stuck drifting endlessly through space.
The best option was to wait until he let his guard down, then head for Earth quietly.
So the three of them stayed on Planet Sadala and planned to wait a few days before setting out again.
That "few days" turned into several years.
…
Universe 6, outer space.
After an intense clash, Bardock and Champa found themselves unable to settle the match.
Both of them were breathing heavily, consumed by exhaustion.
"Hmph. Still want to keep going?" Champa snorted.
"One day I'll surpass you," Bardock said after a brief pause, turning to leave. "So when we meet again, watch yourself."
Bardock knew perfectly well that even if they kept fighting, he still might not beat Champa.
Instead of wasting time here, it was better to go back and train.
As long as he surpassed him, he could win it back next time.
Watching Bardock leave, Champa's mouth twitched.
I need to train too.
Otherwise I'll lose to him next time.
…
Day after day passed.
Then, in the blink of an eye, another six years went by.
Universe 6, Earth.
Satan City.
Even though Mr. Satan kept insisting that he was not the one who had saved Earth, and that the world had really been saved by a true god, the people of Earth didn't see it that way.
Even if a god had saved the planet, wasn't that god brought in by Mr. Satan?
Because of that, people treated Mr. Satan like a hero.
But once people get used to peace, ignorance starts creeping back in.
That was just how humans were.
Seven years had now passed since the battle with Cell ended.
Satan Bank.
A helicopter came roaring in from the sky and landed right outside the bank entrance.
A gang of masked robbers jumped out, weapons in hand, and stormed inside.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire rang out, followed by screams.
"Hey! Hurry up and hand over the money! If you don't want to die, move!"
"I'm talking to you! Move it!"
"Boss, we've got all the cash," one of the thugs called out.
"Good. After I spend this batch, I'll come back for more," the leader sneered, opening fire on the staff.
Several employees were shot on the spot and killed.
…
At the same time, high above the outskirts of Satan City, Gohan and Kale were flying at high speed through the air.
They were both sixteen.
For the past seven years, Gohan and Kale had been studying from home.
There weren't any schools nearby, so most of their lessons had been taken online.
But Chi-Chi felt that wasn't enough, so she decided that starting today, Gohan and Kale would attend high school in Satan City.
"Kale, we've reached the edge of the city. Let's land here," Gohan said, glancing down.
"Okay, Gohan-nii." Kale nodded.
The two of them dropped quickly from the sky and landed near the outskirts of Satan City.
They walked side by side, holding hands.
After a while, Gohan checked his watch and realized they were almost late.
"Gohan-nii, are we going to be late? Let's run," Kale suggested.
"I was thinking the same thing." Gohan nodded.
"Want to see which of us is faster?" Kale said with a grin.
"Sure." Gohan got into position.
The two of them burst forward at the same instant, sprinting into the distance.
Gohan was ahead, Kale behind him.
"Gohan-nii, you're amazing. You've completely surpassed me in speed already," Kale said with a smile.
But Gohan gradually slowed down and came to a stop.
"Gohan-nii, I can't even catch up to you anymore," Kale said cheerfully.
"You weren't really trying," Gohan said. He knew Kale had been holding back.
"No… I was serious," Kale said, shaking her head.
Gohan said nothing. His eyes shifted toward the distance.
"Huh? There's gunfire over there!" Kale quickly realized what was happening.
"Again?" Gohan frowned. "This city really is hopeless."
"Gohan-nii, you should go. If you turn into a Super Saiyan, no one will figure out who you are," Kale said excitedly. "I really love the way you look when you're playing superhero."
Gohan gave a dry laugh, quickly took off his backpack, and handed it to Kale.
Snap!
In the next instant, Gohan transformed into a Super Saiyan.
But no golden aura flared around him. Only the color of his hair and eyes changed.
Gohan rose into the air and flew calmly toward the robbers.
"What are you idiots doing over there? Get over here already, you useless cops!"
One of the robbers raised his gun and sprayed bullets toward the police line.
Clearly, the police were outgunned. They were all pinned behind their vehicles, not daring to show themselves.
Gohan descended from the sky, landed on top of a pickup truck, and kicked the man who had just shouted clean off it.
The robber's companions were stunned. One of them opened fire on Gohan and yelled, "Who the hell are you?"
Ratatatat!
Gohan casually caught every bullet.
Then he opened his hand and let them all drop to the ground.
"That's amazing, Gohan-nii!" Kale shouted excitedly.
The robbers were dumbfounded.
Was he even human?
Bang!
Gohan lashed out with another kick and struck one robber right in the face.
Several teeth flew out. His face twisted out of shape as he crashed to the ground.
"A monster! This guy's a monster!"
"Run!"
The driver hurriedly started the vehicle.
The car sped away.
"Hah!"
Gohan swung a hand through the air, and an invisible force slammed into the vehicle.
The entire car flipped through the air and crashed hard onto the road.
Two robbers were trapped beneath it.
Gohan immediately withdrew, returned to Kale's side, and reverted to normal.
Kale handed his backpack back to him.
The police officers at the scene were all stunned, completely unable to understand what had just happened.
"No one saw me, right?" Gohan said with a small sigh of relief.
"It's fine, Gohan-nii. Even if they did, it wouldn't matter," Kale said, not seeming concerned at all.
"We're here to study properly," Gohan said seriously. "We just want to learn more, so unless it's absolutely necessary, we shouldn't reveal who we are. If people found out how strong we are, there's no way we'd get to live normal school lives. We'd probably be busy every single day."
"So that's why, when Shenron appeared last time, you specifically wished for the footage of your fight with Cell to be blurred out?" Kale said with a giggle.
Gohan nodded.
"But there is one clip of you that's… kind of strange…" Kale said, wiping sweat from her brow.
"Strange?" Gohan blinked.
"There's this scene where you're kneeling in front of Cell, and your face just happens to be blurred out…" Kale said with an awkward smile.
"What's strange about that?" Gohan asked, not understanding.
"Nothing. I was just saying." Kale scratched her head, her face turning red.
As the two of them were talking, a girl suddenly appeared behind them.
"Hey, do either of you know who did that?" she asked irritably. "It wasn't the police, was it?"
"No idea. We didn't see anything," Gohan said, looking a little embarrassed when he saw her.
A bad feeling suddenly rose in Kale's heart.
This girl was pretty.
At least prettier than me.
Kale didn't like that thought at all.
Maybe next time I should ask Shenron to make me prettier.
Videl looked at Gohan, then at Kale, and clenched her fists.
"Gohan-nii, let's go," Kale said quickly, grabbing the still-distracted Gohan and dragging him away.
Videl was not especially interested in the two of them. She bit her lip, looking confused.
I came here on purpose.
So who did it?
"Ah, Videl!" an old man suddenly called out. "I saw it! It was that Golden Fighter again!"
"The Golden Fighter? Him again?" Videl froze slightly.
"He was unbelievably strong and fast," the old man explained. "From a distance, he fired off something like air or energy and flipped the robbers' getaway car with ease. Oh, right—he's a student at Orange Star High School too, just like you. I remember seeing the same school badge on him."
"What? A student at our school?" Videl said blankly. "We've got someone like that at school? With golden hair?"
…
Orange Star High School, first-year classroom.
Videl turned to the student beside her and asked, "Sharpner, you're not that mysterious Golden Fighter, are you?"
The only reason she asked was because Sharpner had long blond hair.
Sharpner was reading a boxing magazine with complete focus and ignored her completely.
"I'm talking to you, Sharpner!" Videl snapped, knocking on his desk.
Sharpner closed the magazine, looked up at Videl, and smiled. "Too bad. I was at the club training this morning. I didn't have time for something that pointless."
"So it really wasn't you?" Videl studied him carefully, but it didn't feel likely.
Videl still remembered the footage her father had provided from the battle with Cell. Some of the people in it had been glowing.
For some reason, though, a hacker had gotten in and censored the faces of everyone who fought Cell.
Whoever did that was seriously shameless.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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