"To be completely honest, I've used various methods to weaken him, but I still can't guarantee I can beat Mechikabura. If I can rescue you, though, the two of us fighting together — that's a different story."
Ino's thinking hadn't changed: overwhelm the enemy with righteous numbers. Her combat power was roughly on par with the Demon Realm Supreme Kai's right now, and all it would take was one equally-matched ally on her side to tip the scales.
For reasons both personal and professional, she had to get Kuronoa out.
"Whichever one of us holds the title of Supreme Kai of Time, Mechikabura is our enemy. I want to help — I really do — but right now I..." Kuronoa let out a long sigh.
"The situation is terrible. I'm willing but not able... Senior Aeos is incredibly stubborn — getting through to her will be nearly impossible. The entire burden has fallen on your shoulders..." Black miasma crawled across Kuronoa's face like centipedes. Just speaking of these miserable circumstances fed her resentment, and her corruption deepened visibly — her remaining lucid time was cut in half on the spot.
She endured the bone-deep pain coursing through every part of her and kept it brief: "For Senior Aeos, she can only save herself. As for me... only sufficiently advanced magic can break me free. I have a friend... he should be able to rescue me, but he's been sealed away by a Destroyer. Find him... Ino, you need to go now — go, hurry — I'm losing control! Get out of here!"
Ino and Tonton left the Demon Realm immediately and set off to find Kuronoa's friend.
The friend Kuronoa mentioned was obviously not herself — it was the Old Kai of the Seventh Universe, the one from fifteen generations ago: Pittoro.
The name might sound unfamiliar at first, but he was, in fact, none other than the Old Kai who had been sealed inside the Z Sword by Beerus.
His real name had long since been forgotten by the world.
The Old Kai from fifteen generations ago and Kuronoa were friends — contemporaries who had served as Supreme Kais in the same era. But their paths had diverged: Kuronoa had gone on to become Supreme Kai of Time and, by anchoring herself to the flow of time, had gained something approaching eternal, undying life, while the Old Kai had simply been sealed away by Beerus.
Looked at from that angle, a Supreme Kai's lifespan was far shorter than a Destroyer's.
The Old Kai was a bit of a lech, admittedly, but he possessed a whole collection of high-level support abilities. On top of that, having fused with the old witch via the Potara Earrings — a fusion that could never be undone — he had developed considerable magical expertise as well. That was precisely why Kuronoa believed he was the one who could free her.
"Went all the way around just to end up pulling a sword out of a rock..." Ino sent Tonton home — not even giving her time to bite — and traveled alone to Shin's Sacred World of the Kai.
"Lord Supreme Kai."
"Lady Supreme Kai of Time."
Ino and Shin exchanged formal bows, each showing the other a fair degree of respect. The Grand Supreme Kai was off to one side, happily working through a plate of grilled meat, face slicked with drippings. He was retired, and ceremonial etiquette had never really been his thing — he just gave her a cheerful wave, and that was that.
Kibito looked ready to perform a full prostration, but Ino felt that was unnecessary. She and the Supreme Kais were no longer part of the same organizational structure — no hierarchy between them — so things could stay exactly as they'd always been.
"Lord Shin, I've encountered a powerful enemy within my jurisdiction, and I need the Z Sword's help."
When Kuronoa had asked her for help, Ino had seen the entire process of Beerus sealing the Old Kai — even without drawing on her memories as a transmigrator, just by looking back through time.
Unsealing the Old Kai now, rescuing the former Supreme Kai of Time, and then defeating the Demon Realm Supreme Kai — it was a perfectly logical chain of events.
Ino prepared to attempt pulling the sword for the third time.
Shin had recently been catching up on lessons with the Grand Supreme Kai and had learned all about the history between the Demon Realm Supreme Kai and the Supreme Kai of Time. In his view, the whole affair was extraordinarily complicated — the fact that Ino had thrown herself into the middle of it was nothing short of heroic.
She had come back to her "home base" asking for backup, and by any measure of reason or feeling, he had to help.
He straightened and said, "There's no problem on my end whatsoever. You intend to try pulling the sword again?"
"Yes. This time I have a real shot — I'm certain I can draw the sacred blade."
All of them, including the Grand Supreme Kai, gathered once more at the site where the Z Sword stood.
Ino dropped her disguise, reverting to the form of that eight-year-old little girl.
Kibito found it a little strange, but Shin and the Grand Supreme Kai took it completely in stride. They had met Grand Zeno and the Grand Minister — shrinking down was nothing, just standard procedure. Who would dare laugh? Did they have a death wish?
Ino gripped the hilt with one hand and pulled upward with force. The Z Sword didn't budge in the slightest.
She understood — the sword still recognized her as a Supreme Kai. That was exactly what she had anticipated.
She signaled Shin not to get worked up. What came next was the moment of truth.
The seal Beerus had set on the Z Sword all those years ago was robust — a Supreme Kai genuinely could not pull it free.
But... how refined could the sealing technique of a man as rough-and-tumble as Beerus possibly be?
Ino didn't need Son Gohan to come pull the sword. She had cast her gaze back through time, witnessed the distant past firsthand, and watched every step of Beerus sealing the Old Kai with her own eyes.
The method of sealing. The sequence of steps. The incantation used. She had seen all of it.
For who she was today, that seal was honestly not that complicated. Breaking it wouldn't be hard.
As for Beerus's displeasure — Ino figured a bowl of ramen ought to smooth things over. If not, two bowls. It wasn't exactly a world-ending crisis.
She counted down in her head. Three. Two. One.
Her right hand rested on the hilt. Between the fingers of her left hand, a faint silver light flickered to life — and she swept it swiftly along the blade from hilt to body.
With Beerus's seal broken for just a moment, she heaved with her right hand — no need for any released state, just a single-handed pull with moderate effort — and the Z Sword came free. To speed up the whole process, she had used a clever angle on the draw, letting the blade clatter and grind repeatedly against the stone as it came out.
"Wow! Ino, that was incredible, absolutely incredible! So this is the Z Sword, the most invincible blade in all the divine realms — wait, the... sword?" Shin's excitement had barely lit up his face before he realized that what Ino was holding was only half a sword. The other half was still lodged in the rock.
The blade had snapped the moment it was drawn.
He stared in pure disbelief. The most powerful sword in all of divine legend — broken this easily?
Ino put on a convincing show of equal disbelief. Inwardly, she knew perfectly well: this sword had nothing going for it besides its weight. Without the Old Kai inside it, it was just a perfectly ordinary sword.
"The sacred blade breaking — I suppose it must have been sealed away for too long. Or perhaps there was already internal damage from the moment it was sealed here?" The Grand Supreme Kai offered his analysis between bites.
"That's not it at all."
An aged voice rang out from behind them. Shin and Kibito became walking embodiments of shock — their expressions looked exactly like someone who had stumbled into a ghost in broad daylight. The Grand Supreme Kai, by contrast, was perfectly calm. He turned to look, and there was the Old Kai: gaunt, wrinkled, ancient.
The dignity lasted less than two full seconds. Throwing all concern for his creaking old bones to the wind, the Old Kai launched himself into the air like an untethered wild donkey.
"HAHAHAHAHA — this old man is finally out! FREE AT LAST!"
____
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 20 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉