No one else stepped forward.
The muscular man had looked strong enough to tear through a wall, yet even he had failed to reach 50. The rest of the crowd exchanged uneasy glances, suddenly far less eager to risk their money.
Android 18 walked up to the machine and handed the young man 100,000 zeni.
He stared at the cash. "You're paying for ten attempts?"
"One." Android 18 met his eyes with a cold stare. "If I beat Mr. Satan's score, you owe me ten million. That was the deal, right?"
"Of course," he replied without hesitation.
She could have been strong enough to score 1,000 and it still would not matter. The remote in his pocket controlled the display, and he had no intention of letting her reach 100.
He might not even let her reach 50.
Then again, she was beautiful. Perhaps he could give her a small win, return her money, and earn a little gratitude in return.
Maybe enough gratitude to spend the evening together.
"You can do it!" someone shouted.
The crowd joined in, cheering her on.
Android 18 gave the machine a light punch, careful not to break it.
The impact still sent the entire device rattling against the pavement. Its metal casing groaned, and for a moment it looked ready to collapse.
The display flickered.
50.01.
The crowd erupted.
A few spectators looked less convinced. How had such a slender woman scored higher than the hulking man who had gone before her?
Was she working with the owner?
The muscular man looked personally offended.
There was no chance that little blond woman was stronger than him. Something had to be wrong.
"Incredible!" the young man exclaimed. "You cleared 50 by a whole 0.01 points!"
He handed Android 18 the 100,000-zeni prize.
She slipped the money into her purse, then turned toward the machine with a darkening expression.
Even while holding back, she could have reduced the machine to scrap. A score of 50.01 made no sense.
"This thing is rigged," Android 18 said.
"This thing is rigged!" the muscular man shouted at the same time.
She glanced at him.
The man marched forward and pointed at the young owner. "There's something wrong with your machine!"
"And what exactly would that be?" the young man asked with an innocent smile.
"How could she possibly score higher than me?"
"Maybe she's stronger than you."
The man's face reddened. "What did you say?"
"He's right," Android 18 said.
The muscular man fell silent.
Had they not just accused the same man of cheating? Why was she taking his side now?
"The problem," Android 18 continued, "is that my punch carried at least a hundred times more force than his. So why did the machine only give me 50.01?"
The muscular man quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead.
A hundred times stronger?
The woman was clearly out of her mind.
"That's impossible." The young man laughed nervously. "You're joking."
"Then I'll try again."
Android 18 turned toward the machine.
"One attempt costs another ten thousand—"
She punched before he could finish.
This time, she did not hold back nearly as much.
The machine exploded into dozens of metal pieces that clattered across the pavement.
Every spectator froze.
The muscular man began trembling, his face draining of color.
Android 18 looked over her shoulder. "What were you saying?"
The young man had gone pale. A dark stain spread down one leg of his trousers.
"I asked you a question," she said.
"N-Nothing. I didn't say anything."
Android 18 picked up one of the broken components.
"Your machine cheated me out of a proper score. I think you owe me a little over ten million."
He stared at her.
She had destroyed his machine. How had he somehow become the one paying compensation?
Android 18 closed her fingers around the metal part.
Crack.
The component crumpled into a dense ball of twisted steel.
The young man grabbed the muscular stranger and clung to him in terror.
"Ten million isn't too much, is it?" Android 18 asked with a smile.
"Not at all!" he answered. "Perfectly reasonable!"
He pulled out his phone and transferred the money immediately.
Android 18 checked her account. The moment she saw the payment, her entire expression brightened.
"Let me know the next time you hold one of these events."
She turned and walked away as the crowd hurried to clear a path.
The young man nearly burst into tears.
There would never be a next time. He had made nothing, lost his machine, and paid out ten million zeni on top of it.
"Android 18. It's been a while."
Ken followed her out of the crowd with Bulma beside him.
Android 18 stopped and looked him over from head to toe.
"Ken?"
"That's me." He nodded. "Are you short on money?"
"That's none of your business."
"I was going to give you enough gold to never worry about money again, but never mind." Ken smiled and turned to Bulma. "Let's go."
Bulma nodded, and the two continued down the street.
Android 18 watched them leave, then pouted.
"Who needs his gold? He probably wasn't serious anyway. Ten million in my account is much more useful."
She pulled out her phone and opened her banking app with a satisfied smile.
That much money would last her quite a while.
Then she saw her balance.
Zero.
The smile vanished.
She had possessed more than eleven million zeni only moments ago. Even the million she already had was gone.
Android 18 stormed back to the young man and thrust the phone into his face.
"Where's my money?"
"I transferred it!" he cried. "Maybe someone hacked your account!"
He showed her his transaction history. The transfer had gone through exactly as promised.
Then where had the money gone?
Android 18 suddenly slapped one hand against her thigh.
Ken.
That bastard had taken it.
No one else could have emptied her account without leaving a trace.
She launched herself into the sky and flew toward Capsule Corporation.
By the time Ken and Bulma returned home, Android 18 had already been waiting for them.
"Where's my money?" she demanded, holding up her phone.
"Why are you asking me?" Ken said with a smile. "Call the bank."
"Who else could have done it?"
"You're right. It was me."
Android 18's face flushed red.
"You—!"
She lunged forward and bit down hard on his arm.
Ken did not even flinch.
When she finally released him, he wiped the saliva from his sleeve onto Bulma's clothes.
Bulma stared at him.
That was completely unnecessary.
"Getting your money back is easy," Ken told Android 18. "My arms and legs have been feeling stiff lately. Give me a massage, and I might return your eleven million."
Android 18's chest rose and fell as she glared at him.
Ken's gaze drifted down with shameless appreciation.
Life at Bulma's home remained peaceful after that. Whenever things became too quiet, Ken found some new way to tease Android 18 and keep himself entertained.
Several months passed.
Far away, in Future Trunks's timeline, Zamasu had spent those same months investigating the world around him.
Ken did not exist there.
The Saiyans of that timeline were also far weaker than the ones Zamasu knew. At his current level, wiping them out would be easy.
A cold smile spread across his face.
He had found the perfect timeline.
From now on, he would become its supreme god.
First, however, he needed to eliminate every God of Destruction. Only then would no one remain capable of threatening him.
Zamasu traveled from universe to universe, ambushing each Supreme Kai before they understood what was happening. His strength already surpassed theirs, and surprise made the killings effortless.
Every death claimed another victim as well.
The moment a Supreme Kai fell, the God of Destruction linked to them vanished.
"Only Universes 6, 7, and 10 remain," Zamasu murmured. "Universe 7 comes first."
He used Kai Kai and appeared beside Universe 7's Supreme Kai.
Shin stared at the stranger in confusion. Kibito stood nearby, equally wary.
"Who are you?" Shin asked.
Zamasu smiled.
"I don't need an ambush to deal with the two of you."
He vanished from sight and reappeared directly in front of Kibito.
A purple energy blade formed around his hand.
Kibito never had time to react.
The blade swept across his neck, severing his head. Before his body could fall, Zamasu fired an energy blast and blew it apart.
Kibito's head rolled across the grass, leaving a trail of blood behind it.
Everything had happened so quickly that Shin remained frozen in disbelief.
Then Kibito's head came to a stop.
His eyes were still open, staring at Zamasu in horror.
"You're next, Supreme Kai of Universe 7," Zamasu said.
"Kibito!"
Shin rushed toward him.
"You should be worrying about yourself."
Zamasu darted forward and drove his energy blade through Shin's heart.
The Supreme Kai stopped mid-stride. Blood ran down the front of his robes and dripped onto the grass.
"Die."
Zamasu released a blast through Shin's body and tore him apart.
"Supreme Kai…" Kibito whispered, his eyes burning with helpless fury.
Zamasu walked over and crushed Kibito's head beneath his foot.
"Universe 7 is finished. Only Universes 6 and 10 remain."
He turned to leave, then paused.
He had almost forgotten someone.
Zamasu looked toward a distant cliff and vanished.
At its summit, the Z Sword stood embedded in the stone.
He pulled it free and aimed one hand at the hilt.
The sword shattered beneath a blast of energy.
Elder Kai died inside it before ever having the chance to escape.
"Two universes left."
Zamasu used Kai Kai once more.
He appeared in the Sacred World of the Kai in Universe 6, directly in front of Fuwa.
Fuwa blinked, then studied him with a friendly smile.
"You're a Supreme Kai apprentice, aren't you? Which universe are you from?"
"Universe 10," Zamasu replied. "My name is Zamasu."
"Ah, an apprentice from Universe 10." Fuwa's smile remained warm, but concern entered his eyes when he noticed Zamasu's expression. "Is something wrong?"
"I came to kill you."
A purple blade formed around Zamasu's hand.
He thrust it straight toward Fuwa.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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