Ino secretly curled her lips. She had heard that this guy, Zamasu, had also just been promoted from a Kai to an Apprentice Supreme Kai a couple of years ago. Whether in terms of seniority or strength, he wasn't much better than her, yet he talked quite big.
Earlier, when she went to capture prisoners, the weakling duo of Shin and Kibito had been heavily suppressed by the master and disciple from the Tenth Universe. It was only when Ino returned that they managed to regain some say in the matter.
Without a doubt, this was a joint reconnaissance operation between the Seventh Universe and the Tenth Universe.
This squad brought together an old man, a weakling, a woman, and a traitor—it could truly be called a gathering of elites!
She just hoped they wouldn't end up fighting amongst themselves on the way...
Kibito whispered to Ino, "There's something off about that Zamasu. Keep a close eye on him; I'll protect Lord Supreme Kai."
"Alright."
She suddenly thought of a question and asked Kibito, "The Destroyer of the Tenth Universe is...?"
Surprisingly, Kibito actually knew the answer to this question, and he understood the implication behind her asking it even better.
Glancing at the two Supreme Kais who were discussing official business, he lowered his voice even further. "I heard the Tenth Universe's Destroyer is Lord Rumsshi. Lord Rumsshi has stated publicly on multiple occasions that his most hated Destroyer is our Seventh Universe's Lord Beerus..."
Ino was initially stunned, but then it dawned on her. Alright, this was Beerus's fault again.
Beerus was hostile towards the Fourth Universe's Destroyer, and was in turn hated by the Tenth Universe's Destroyer. His relationship with his own brother, the Sixth Universe's Destroyer Champa, was an absolute mess. In terms of diplomacy, this guy had practically offended everyone who could be offended, and even those who couldn't! No wonder he slept at home all day; was he afraid of getting ganged up on if he went out?
Ino let out a long sigh.
It was too difficult!
Her observation skills were sharp. When Kibito mentioned the Tenth Universe's Destroyer, the ramrod-straight Zamasu across from them revealed a trace of disdain. She didn't even need to ask to know that the Destroyer of the Tenth Universe likely had personality issues as well.
The Destroyers, whose sole duty was combat, were completely unreliable, leaving them, the Supreme Kais, to come out and scout! For heaven's sake, a Supreme Kai's actual job was creation and maintaining order; their role was essentially that of civil officials! Now, this terrible situation was forcing a bunch of civil officials to come out and fight? Was there any justice in this world?
Whether they liked it or not, after interrogating the captives, the group of five set off on their journey through the Demon Realm.
...
"Cough, cough, cough!" Kibito, who was all talk and no fight, descended into a violent fit of coughing.
His face was naturally red, but now it was so flushed it looked ready to drip blood.
The other Apprentice Supreme Kai, Zamasu, remained perfectly calm. He politely asked if Kibito needed help, and then promptly ignored him.
Ino transferred a portion of her energy to Kibito, stabilizing the restless ki within his body.
Ino already knew beforehand that the Demon Realm was no friendly place. However, it wasn't until she arrived that she realized it wasn't just crawling with wicked people; even the energy in the air carried chaotic, twisted, and volatile traits.
If Naruto, Jiraiya, or the others came to the Demon Realm to absorb natural energy, they would mutate in a matter of minutes.
Ino and Zamasu across from her were roughly on par, both possessing a battle power around 4 billion. Shin and the Tenth Universe's Old Kai, Gowasu, were estimated to be at the 3 billion level. Kibito, however, was far too lacking, and the chaotic aura of the Demon Realm affected him severely.
As an attendant, he couldn't just leave early; he had no choice but to endure it.
Ino scratched her head, looking left and right. "Is this that 'Black Fire City' the captive mentioned earlier? Why don't I see any traces of a city?"
Shin coughed softly. "The chaotic aura of the Demon Realm affects our senses. The heavier the power of order upon us, the greater the influence we suffer."
Even Zamasu, as an Apprentice Supreme Kai, was unaware of this. He looked toward his teacher, and the elderly Supreme Kai nodded, indicating it was indeed the case.
Enduring his discomfort, Kibito's reaction speed was a beat or two slower than usual. He still hadn't figured it out. "So?"
Shin was exceptionally calm, as if narrating something happening to someone else. "So... we must be lost."
Ino: "..."
For Supreme Kais like them, the problem of getting lost had no solution; they could only stumble around blindly.
When Zamasu leveled an entire Demon Clan city with a single shockwave, Ino knew their reconnaissance mission had officially come to an end.
Zamasu looked at her with some confusion. "What, do you wish to plead for these filthy lifeforms?"
Like hell I'd plead for them!
Ino didn't know what expression she should make. "Perhaps we didn't make ourselves clear earlier. Isn't the goal of this joint operation reconnaissance? You just directly destroyed a Demon Clan city. Does that count as reconnaissance?"
Zamasu was unusually confident, as if stating an absolute, unalterable truth. "Evil must be eradicated. That is the duty of a Supreme Kai."
Ino wasn't too pleased and couldn't be bothered to humor the guy. "What you're talking about, eradicating evil, is the duty of a Destroyer."
"Since the Destroyer isn't here right now, I shall simply act in his stead."
Their argument yielded no conclusion.
Because Demon Realm King Dabura charged out menacingly.
The destroyed Demon Clan city was exactly his territory.
Demon Realm King Dabura had his chest exposed, wearing a blue battle suit with a silver cape fastened behind him. He was tall, his gaze cold and sinister.
Suddenly seeing so many Supreme Kais appear here, Dabura was startled. Taking a closer look, he felt slightly relieved. Kibito could be ignored entirely. Between Shin and Gowasu, one was too young and the other too old; just from their auras, it was obvious neither possessed much combat capability.
The ones worthy of his wariness were Zamasu and Ino.
Anyone could tell at a glance that these two were quite capable fighters.
"It's you." He recognized Zamasu's ki. "You slaughtered so many Demon Clan warriors, yet you still dare to set foot in the Demon Realm."
He then looked Ino up and down a few times. "Is your accomplice the one you're relying on?"
Actually, I didn't even want to come! I want to fight to the death with you even less. Unfortunately, I just have too many deadweight teammates.
Ino certainly couldn't speak her mind, and she definitely couldn't back down at a time like this.
She secretly gathered her energy. "Demon Realm King? What a grand title. You don't look like much of a big deal to me. I..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Zamasu spoke up abruptly. "Leave this guy to me."
Ino asked, "This Demon Realm King doesn't seem weak. You want to take him on alone?"
She had wanted to team up with Zamasu. In a two-on-one, the Demon Realm King definitely wouldn't be a match for them.
Zamasu rejected her help. "Relax, leave him to me."
"Alright then! He's all yours!" Dabura and Zamasu fighting to the death was a good thing no matter how you looked at it. Ino prepared to use the opportunity to step back.
Suddenly, a rather alluring voice echoed above her head. "Don't leave. These men just love fighting and killing. Ignore them. We girls can chat about some more private topics."
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