"Alright then, once I've completely figured out this book, I'll come back!" Vegeta said to Ken.
"Next, I'll be sending you to Planet Namek. That planet will be your new battlefield," Ken said after a brief pause.
"Planet Namek?" Vegeta blinked. "Didn't we already go there once?"
"Don't you have any wishes you still want granted?" Ken smiled lightly.
Vegeta's heart gave a jolt, and he suddenly came back to his senses.
Right. I still want immortality.
And I have to go to Planet Sadala.
First I'll go to Namek to make my wish, then I'll head to Sadala.
He hesitated over and over, but in the end, Vegeta still didn't mention Sadala to Ken.
Ken, just you wait. Once I gain an immortal body and become the king of Planet Sadala, I'll come back and make you submit.
That kneeling and crying just now was just for show… and now I'm already regretting it.
First, let's see what this Ultra Ego is all about!
Once my power goes up, I'll slam Kakarot into the ground and grind his face in. After that, I'll go rule the entire Planet Sadala.
"This time on Namek, you're going to run into an even greater opportunity," Ken said with a faint smile. As he spoke, he suddenly called out, "Staff—come."
Vegeta's expression was full of confusion.
What's that supposed to mean?
Goku looked just as lost.
"Whoosh!"
Ken's staff shot up from the floor in Bulma's house, flew straight over, and smacked the back end of the staff right down on Vegeta's head.
"Awooo…"
A big lump immediately swelled up on Vegeta's skull.
"Uh… my bad. I did that on purpose," Ken said, smiling.
Vegeta: "…"
Vegeta gritted his teeth in pain.
If you did it on purpose, you really don't need to say "my bad" on top of it.
"Pop."
Ken gripped the staff and swung it lightly through the air.
"Crack!"
The space nearby suddenly split open. A pitch-black rift more than ten meters long and barely a meter wide tore open in midair, black lightning crackling all around its edges.
"Bang!"
Ken lifted his foot and kicked, booting Vegeta straight into the gap.
"Vegeta, you're thinking too small. 'King of Sadala'? That's the best you can come up with?" Ken sighed in mild exasperation.
In an instant, Vegeta was swallowed by the dark rift and vanished without a trace.
"Shua!"
Inside that pitch-black gap, Vegeta tumbled end over end hundreds of times. When he finally stopped, he slammed down onto solid ground and landed hard on his backside.
He bounced back to his feet at once and looked around in all directions.
With just one look, his expression shifted. He could clearly feel he'd returned to that same Earth from before—
The Earth with not a single living being left on it.
A moment later, Vegeta heard a voice echo across the empty world.
"Vegeta, you're thinking too small. 'King of Sadala'? That's the best you can come up with?"
"Th–this…" Vegeta froze. "You can hear what I'm thinking?"
But the rift was already closing.
By the time Vegeta fully reacted, the gap was almost gone. He dove toward it on instinct.
"Snap!"
The crack in space collapsed completely and disappeared.
Vegeta lunged forward and ended up hugging the ground instead.
He pushed himself up, swept his gaze around again, and his face grew dark and tense.
A brief silence.
Vegeta was once again utterly speechless.
What did you dump me here for?
He tilted his head back and stared at the massive vortex swirling in the sky, hesitating.
That thing looks terrifying. I almost got spun apart when I passed through it inside a spaceship. If I just jump in there directly, that spinning zone might be open space.
And if it's open space, I'll die in there.
Vegeta didn't dare charge into the vortex on his own.
Just as he was thinking that—
"Pop."
Another pitch-black rift tore open nearby.
A second later, a spaceship came tumbling out of it.
"Off you go. In thirty days, rendezvous on Planet Namek," Ken's voice rang out. "Don't let me down again this time."
As his voice faded, the rift sealed up once more.
Vegeta looked toward where the gap had been and gave a stubborn snort. Then he shot into the air and dropped down beside the spaceship.
He opened the hatch and strode inside.
"Clack."
The hatch closed. The ship blasted through the atmosphere and, in the blink of an eye, emerged into the vacuum of space.
In the next moment, Vegeta casually pulled out the Ultra Ego Training Guide and started to read it with full concentration.
"Hakai? So this is the God of Destruction's mysterious technique?" Vegeta muttered, wearing a thoughtful look. "Doesn't seem that hard."
He flipped through the book more carefully, and his grin slowly stretched across his face.
"Kakarot, you'd better be ready. I'm going to surpass you," Vegeta said, clenching his fist.
…
Universe 6, Earth.
When Ken swung his staff and split the air open, a long rift appeared right there in front of everyone. The others all stared, stunned, exchanging shocked looks.
"Ken, what kind of move was that? Where'd Vegeta go?" Goku scratched his head and asked curiously.
"That was a Cosmic Rift born from tremendous energy. It can send someone straight back to Universe 7," Ken explained with a smile.
"Whoa, that strong?" Goku gaped. "I wonder when I'll be able to use something like that…"
"Take it slow," Ken said, smiling faintly.
"But anyway, Ken, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I definitely wouldn't have been Vegeta's match. I probably would've been beaten into the ground," Goku said, hurrying over to bow his thanks.
"Nothing to thank me for. If you want to bring your dead companions back to life, there are things you'll have to go do yourselves," Ken said, looking at him.
"We're going to Planet Namek too? What kind of planet is that?" Goku asked, puzzled.
"Goku, that planet is Piccolo's homeworld," Krillin said.
"Piccolo's homeworld? You mean the planet where Piccolo's mom lives?" Goku scratched his head again.
Krillin: "…"
Piccolo: "…"
The two of them were instantly speechless.
"Goku, 'homeworld' means the planet you were born on," Krillin said quickly, wiping away cold sweat.
"Ohhh, that's what it means… So that planet has Dragon Balls too?" Goku finally got it.
"Head back and get a spaceship from Bulma, then set out for Planet Namek right away. There are Dragon Balls there that can grant wishes. You can use them to resurrect your fallen friends," Ken said with a smile. "From here, you're on your own. I have to leave Earth for a bit."
"Huh? You're leaving Earth?" Goku blinked in surprise.
Ken didn't say anything else. Light flashed around his body, and in the next instant he vanished from sight.
In just a blink, Ken was back at Merus's side.
Merus: "…"
Merus stared at him, speechless.
"Come on, let's go. What are you zoning out for?" Ken asked with a grin.
"You used a Cosmic Rift just now?" Merus blurted out.
"Oh? You caught that?" Ken's eyes curved with amusement.
"How did you manage to pinpoint that Earth so precisely?" Merus asked, genuinely shocked.
"Merus, once you hit level fifty-eight, you'll be able to lock onto targets just as precisely," Ken said with an easy smile.
Merus felt that right in the chest.
You make it sound so reasonable, too…
To be fair, this Cosmic Rift thing had been Ken's first time using it as well.
But to his surprise, it turned out to be pretty easy to handle in practice.
Of course, something like a Cosmic Rift was best used for throwing other people through.
Actually squeezing himself into that narrow crack and using it to slip into another universe… that just felt a bit beneath his dignity.
That was why angels normally didn't use this sort of ability to travel between universes.
"So, what are your thoughts on the Supreme Kai versus God of Destruction contest?" Ken asked, smiling as he watched Merus.
Merus fell silent.
"Aww… poor little angel," Amarella couldn't help sighing quietly. "Right in the middle of his growth phase, and he just had to run into a monster like you… of course it's going to mess with his mindset."
"You make it sound like I went out of my way to mess with him," Ken replied evenly.
"The Grand Priest bears most of the responsibility for this," Amarella said, thinking it over. "If he hadn't insisted on comparing Merus to you, Merus would probably be having a great time training with the Galactic Patrol right now."
"Good point. Let's look down on the Grand Priest together," Ken said, nodding in full agreement.
"Pfft… sure, let's look down on him together," Amarella said, her eyes curving as she laughed, smiling as brightly as a flower.
"Merus, you really don't need to feel pressured," Ken said, patting him on the shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Think of it like Goku and Vegeta. From today on, Vegeta's going to see Goku as his lifelong rival—but Goku's never once really looked Vegeta in the eye."
"Is that so?" Merus murmured, mulling it over. Then something occurred to him and his expression twisted. "Wait, hang on—are you saying the two of us are like Goku and Vegeta? You're basically calling yourself Goku and me Vegeta…"
"Merus, have some confidence. Drop the 'basically,'" Ken said with a wide grin.
Merus: "…"
He honestly didn't know what to say anymore.
Too brutal.
So in your version, my eyes are only ever on you, while you don't even spare me a glance?
"I'm not necessarily going to lose that Supreme Kai versus God of Destruction test!" Merus said stubbornly. "Don't forget—given Goku's intelligence, he definitely won't beat Jiren in any written exam. Even if he wins their fight, at best that still only makes the whole thing a draw."
"In that case, maybe I should swap someone else in…" Ken suggested.
"No need!" Merus said through gritted teeth. "You don't have to go easy on me!"
"Think it over. We've still got fifteen years," Ken said with a smile.
Merus fell quiet, lifted his hand, and tapped the ground lightly with his staff.
"I'll take my leave," he said. As he spoke, starlike light bloomed from his body, glittering like a sky full of stars.
"Shu."
In the next instant, Merus shot up into the heavens and soon vanished from sight.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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