Vegeta looked at the successfully transformed Son Goku. Although he remained silent, a glimmer of acknowledgment passed through his eyes. Kakarot, that lowborn wretch, could always summon an astonishing amount of willpower at the critical moment.
He was worthy of being his lifelong rival.
"Hmph. At least he didn't embarrass himself," Piccolo scoffed, though a hint of relief was visible in his expression.
"That's amazing, Dad!" Son Gohan shouted joyfully.
Axis watched the two complete their transformations and nodded with immense satisfaction. It had not been in vain that he had beaten the two of them into a near-death state twice in succession before reviving them.
After achieving the Super Saiyan Blue form, their power had already reached the physiological limit of a Super Saiyan.
They had already possessed the latent potential required for the Super Saiyan 4 transformation. Under Axis's harsh stimulation, and having previously witnessed Kratos transform into that very state, both Goku and Vegeta had successfully mastered this primal form.
"The power of Super Saiyan 4 is incredibly primitive," Vegeta observed, inspecting his hands. "It is savage and robust. Although it does not possess the divine Ki of the gods, this represents the most feral power of the Saiyan race. Or perhaps... is this the Saiyan's true, original power?"
"Vegeta," Goku said, turning to the Prince, "after we go back, we can try to stack the Super Saiyan Blue transformation on top of this form. I think we can pull it off."
The battle with Axis had shaken them to their core. The entity had displayed a fusion of four distinct lights, combining the power of the Super Saiyan God with the raw Super Saiyan essence. Goku was no longer in a rush to fight Axis again immediately; he needed to digest this new power first.
Axis approached the two warriors.
"I will give you half a month," Axis stated calmly. "I hope you can successfully master this power and superimpose the Super Saiyan Blue energy upon this morphology. Can you accomplish this?"
Having just fought against Gogeta, Axis had benefited immensely. That fused warrior was the first combatant in this world to force him into his multi-power fusion form.
Although he had ultimately defeated Gogeta, Axis had gained significant insight. furthermore, this was the Dragon Ball universe; it was rich with resources. Axis intended to use this time to harvest some useful items.
"No problem, Axis," Son Goku replied seriously. "I promise you, I will train with everything I have during this time."
In truth, the fact that he needed to fuse with Vegeta just to rival Axis, or potentially defeat him, left a seed of unwillingness in Goku's heart.
What he truly desired was to defeat Axis with his own strength. Even if there was a gap in their bloodlines or fundamental nature, none of that mattered to Goku. He only needed to march forward toward that goal. That had always been his way.
"Then I shall wait and see," Axis said.
"Do you two possess a dwelling?" Vegeta asked, standing nearby with his arms crossed. "If you have nowhere to go, you can stay at my residence. My home is quite spacious."
Although Axis was incredibly strong, Vegeta's true interest lay not with the father, but with his son, Kratos. He could not hope to match Axis's overwhelming power yet, but Kratos was different.
The boy was like him, having just comprehended Super Saiyan 4. He would make an excellent sparring partner.
"You can come to my house too," Goku chimed in. "When we're free, we can train together."
"That will not be necessary," Axis declined. "Kratos and I plan to look around other locations. However, before I go, could you lend me the Dragon Radar? I wish to gather the seven Dragon Balls."
Since he had arrived in the Dragon Ball world, how could he fail to collect the local specialties? The Dragon Balls were of vital strategic importance.
There were many assets Axis wished to acquire through a wish to the dragon. For instance, he wanted to replenish his stock of seeds from the Tree of Might. He had completely exhausted the first generation of spirit fruits while cultivating the Divine Fruit Tree earlier.
Furthermore, Axis wanted to investigate whether he could acquire the ability to craft Dragon Balls himself.
"You want the Dragon Radar? That's no problem," Goku said, scratching his head. "But the Dragon Balls were used not long ago. It will take the better part of a year for them to restore their energy."
Frieza's resurrection had consumed one wish, and the Pilaf Gang had squandered the remaining two. Consequently, the Dragon Balls would need at least another eight months to reactivate.
Axis frowned upon hearing this. He had forgotten that detail.
Did these artifacts truly have such inconvenient restrictions? It was infuriating. Whenever the protagonists finished fighting a boss, they seemed to use the Dragon Balls immediately.
In Dragon Ball Super, the timeline was barely two years long, yet the Dragon Balls were seemingly used four or five times.
"You can stay here for a while," Goku suggested. "If the wish isn't urgent, you can wait eight months and then make it."
Axis rolled his eyes. Stay for eight months? By then, the Tournament of Power would likely have begun. Knowing Goku, the fool would probably beg him to participate.
Wait, Axis thought. Participate in the Tournament of Power? That actually sounds like an excellent opportunity.
Axis did not care who his opponents were, nor did he care which universes were erased from existence.
What Axis truly coveted was the power of Super Shenron. The Super Dragon Balls possessed no limits; there was almost no wish they could not grant. Even the seven universes erased by the Omni-King, Zeno, could be restored with a mere thought from the Super Dragon.
Moreover, in the divergent lore of the Dragon Ball Heroes timeline, a Universe Tree capable of birthing entire universes existed. That entity was a true anomaly. If one mastered it, they could birth a cosmos and become a veritable Lord of Universes.
Axis considered wishing for that very Universe Tree, intending to become a True God controlling multiple realities.
The Super Dragon Balls could only grant a single wish, but that wish was absolute. As long as he emerged as the champion, he would secure that opportunity.
However, a complication arose in his calculations. After the Tournament of Power concluded, the Omni-King and the Grand Minister had a predetermined "correct" outcome: the winner was expected to wish for the restoration of the erased universes. It was even implied that if the victor did not make this selfless wish, the Omni-King would erase all remaining universes in a fit of disappointment.
Axis could not guarantee his escape mechanisms would function against the Omni-King's erasure. Could he retreat to the Warp or the Warhammer universe in time?
Furthermore, since he could enter the Dragon Ball reality, entities from here might be able to pursue him. The Warhammer universe was not an absolute sanctuary. If he made a selfish wish for the Universe Tree and enraged the Omni-King, he risked instant annihilation.
No, wait, Axis corrected himself. The Tournament of Power isn't the only chance for a wish.
Champa, the God of Destruction of the 6th Universe, and his Angel attendant, Vados, were currently collecting the Super Dragon Balls.
These were artifacts native to both the 6th and 7th Universes. Before long, these two Gods of Destruction would hold a tournament between their respective universes. The prize for victory was a wish from the Super Dragon.
Axis could simply demand that opportunity from Beerus.
This path eliminated the risk of offending the unfathomable Omni-King and Grand Minister during the later Tournament of Power.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Axis solidified his plan. He would remain in the Dragon Ball world for a duration, participate in the tournament organized by the two Gods of Destruction, and secure the wish from Super Shenron to obtain the Universal God Tree.
"Kakarot, you imbecile," Vegeta scoffed, breaking Axis's train of thought. "Have you forgotten the Dragon Balls on Planet Namek? If Axis has a need, you can simply take him there to seek their dragon."
Vegeta shook his head. This fool had completely disregarded the Namekian Dragon, Porunga. That dragon was far superior to Earth's Shenron. Reports indicated it had been upgraded; its wishing capacity now matched Earth's dragon, including the ability to resurrect multiple people at once.
"Oh, right! I totally forgot about that," Goku laughed. "Axis, I can take you to Planet Namek. There are Dragon Balls there too."
"Then I will trouble you to take me to Namek first," Axis replied.
He recalled other sets of Dragon Balls in the lore. In the Granolah the Survivor arc, there was a set of two small Dragon Balls. In the newest Dragon Ball Daima series, the Demon Realm held another three.
However, since this appeared to be the main "Super" timeline, the existence of the Demon Realm balls was uncertain. The two balls from the Granolah arc likely existed, but the dragon summoned by a mere pair was not particularly potent. It had created two "strongest warriors in the universe," but at the cost of their lifespans, the magic was heavily diluted and flawed.
In summary, the most flawless Dragon Balls were still the Earth and Namek variants, or perhaps the Black Star Dragon Balls from GT.
"Wait a moment. Axis, was it?"
Piccolo stepped forward, his expression stern. "I want to know what kind of wish you intend to make on Planet Namek. If it is an evil wish, I am sorry, but the Grand Elder of Namek will not grant it."
Namekians were Goku's close friends. This being named Axis was an unknown variable; his morality was undetermined, even if he had technically just helped save Earth.
"I only desire the fruit I previously gave Goku and the others to eat, the Fruit of the Tree of Might," Axis explained smoothly. " aside from that, I merely require some special treasures. I will not use the Dragon Balls for acts of destruction. It is entirely unnecessary for a being of my stature."
"See, Piccolo?" Goku said, turning to his mentor. "Axis said he just wants some items. It's fine."
"Fine. I won't say anything more," Piccolo huffed. He turned and flew away without looking back.
Goku smiled at Axis, then placed his hand on the armored warrior's shoulder. He focused his mind, searching for the Ki signature of the Grand Elder on the new Planet Namek.
"Hold on tightly."
Locking onto the signal, Goku activated his Instant Transmission, vanishing along with Axis and Kratos in a blur of light.
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ps?