"Quitela's dead?" Broly blinked in surprise.
"The Grand Priestess killed him," Ken said, pointing at her.
Broly fell silent.
So this woman really was dangerous. No wonder she was the Grand Priest's wife.
Would she try to get revenge on him later?
Forget that. Anyone who targeted Ken was his enemy.
It did not matter who it was. If they went after Ken, he would fight them to the bitter end.
"Then let's revive him," Broly said after a moment's thought. "We're a little short on Gods of Destruction right now, aren't we? And yeah, he did get my father killed by mistake… but I can't put all the blame on him for that. It was more a case of good intentions going wrong."
With a lift of his hand, Ken conjured a radiant sphere of light that shone like a tiny star.
It was only about the size of a ping-pong ball.
He handed it to Broly and explained, "This is angelic power. It's enough to revive both Quitela and your father. What you do with it is up to you."
"All right. I understand," Broly said with a nod.
Then he and Ai turned into a dark green streak of light and sped off toward Universe 4.
Ken grabbed the Grand Priestess and, in a flash, reappeared in an uninhabited region of Planet Sadala.
"Y-you… why did you bring me here?" the Grand Priestess asked, suddenly uneasy. Especially with no one else around, she could not shake the bad feeling rising in her chest.
"A man and a woman alone in a deserted place," Ken said with a smile as he looked her up and down. "Don't you think we should be doing something meaningful?"
The Grand Priestess's entire body tensed under his gaze. Her expression changed again and again, and she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest.
"Relax. I'm not interested in you," Ken said, shaking his head. "I brought you here because I need you to behave."
"I see." The Grand Priestess suddenly understood. "You absorbed their energy just now, and now the angelic power inside your body is going wild. Am I right? That power was mine to begin with. You forced it into yourself, and now you're forcing it to merge with your own angelic power. Of course it's tearing you apart."
"To make sure you don't run off while I'm focusing on controlling it, I think I'd better knock you out first," Ken said after a moment of thought, then started walking toward her.
The Grand Priestess went silent.
"Y-you stay back!" she cried, panicking.
She really had been planning to escape the moment Ken was fully focused on controlling that power.
But Ken was not giving her the chance.
He stepped in and struck the back of her neck with a single chop.
The Grand Priestess went limp and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Even as she blacked out, she hated Ken more than ever.
How dare he knock her out.
Did he even know who she was?
She was not just the Grand Priestess. She was supposed to be his future mother-in-law.
No, wait.
Why should she ever marry her daughters off to a bastard like him?
A flood of thoughts ran through her mind in that single instant.
It had to be said, the Grand Priestess had a very rich emotional life.
Once she was unconscious, Ken began guiding the energy he had just absorbed.
The power he had taken from Temat and the others had not yet fully merged with his body.
He had to guide it himself and fuse it properly, step by step.
If he just let it drift without control, there was a real chance the energy would gradually leak away.
Ken estimated that it would take about three days to complete the process.
After all, the power Temat and the others had cultivated was, at its core, transformed angelic power from the Grand Priestess.
He sealed the Grand Priestess in place so she could not run around, then floated about ten meters above the ground, his body glowing with brilliant starlike light.
…
Universe 4, the Other World.
King Yemma's hall.
King Yemma stared at Supreme Kai Kuru's soul with a head full of question marks.
The Supreme Kai had died?
The Supreme Kai of their universe had really just died like that?
Kuru said nothing.
Internally, though, he had plenty to say.
I was in the middle of taking a dump, and before I was even finished, I suddenly vanished.
What rotten luck.
Who killed Quitela?
Where was he?
Had he not come to the Other World?
Kuru looked around for Quitela.
Whoosh!
Quitela came flying in from the distance, trembling so hard he barely dared breathe.
At that point, he was terrified the Grand Priestess might come storming into the Other World too. If that happened, even his soul would have nowhere left to run.
Quitela had already made up his mind. If she really came after him, then rules or no rules, he would go straight to Zeno-sama's palace and beg the Grand Priest for help.
"Quitela-sama!" Kuru hurried over and stopped him.
Quitela's face was dark and thoroughly irritated.
"God of Destruction!" King Yemma immediately dropped to his knees the moment he saw Quitela.
Which of the two had died and dragged the other one down with him?
Surely it had been the Supreme Kai.
A God of Destruction was far too powerful. How could he possibly be the one who died?
"Quitela-sama, how did you die?" Kuru asked through clenched teeth.
Hearing that, King Yemma pricked up his ears in shock.
So it really had been the God of Destruction who died, and the Supreme Kai had been dragged down with him?
"Hmph. That's none of your business," Quitela snapped. He did not dare mention the Grand Priestess.
"Do you have any idea what you put me through? I disappeared before I could even finish taking a shit!" Kuru shouted.
King Yemma and all the staff nearby quietly wiped away sweat.
Did that really sound like something he should be saying in public?
"Get lost!" Quitela snapped. "Don't annoy me. I'm in a terrible mood today!"
Kuru felt completely numb inside.
As if his own mood was any better.
Because of Quitela's death, he had vanished too.
King Yemma had no idea how he was supposed to handle two gods of this level standing in his court.
Right then, a dark green streak of light shot into the Other World and came speeding toward them.
Broly landed beside Quitela and Kuru with Ai at his side.
The moment Quitela saw Broly, cold sweat poured down his back.
Broly.
What was he doing here?
Had the Grand Priestess sent him to finish the job?
Quitela's soul began trembling even harder.
Broly said nothing. He just looked at him calmly.
Quitela started shaking so badly he looked ready to come apart.
Damn it. I'm just a soul now. My senses are garbage.
Broly got this close and I didn't notice a thing.
I should have left earlier.
Wait. The Supreme Kai is here.
Maybe he can still use Kai Kai, even as a soul.
Quitela immediately turned to Kuru, giving him a pointed look and trying to communicate with his lips.
"Huh? You want me to use Kai Kai to get you out of here?" Kuru scratched his head, clearly unsure.
Quitela went silent.
Ten thousand obscenities ran through his mind.
Are you an idiot?
How did someone this stupid become a Supreme Kai?
"Trying to run?" Broly asked, lightly placing a hand on Quitela's shoulder.
Quitela nearly lost what was left of his soul.
"Quitela, are you refusing to acknowledge me as the Great God of Destruction?" Broly asked with a smile.
"N-no, of course not! I would never do that!" Quitela nodded frantically.
"Then why didn't you kneel the moment you saw me?" Broly asked coldly.
Quitela shuddered again and hurriedly dropped to his knees.
Kuru did not kneel.
The Great God of Destruction ruled over the Gods of Destruction, but that had nothing to do with the Supreme Kais. He did not need to kneel.
Also, I'm a soul right now. What the hell am I supposed to kneel for?
King Yemma, on the other hand, had already fallen to his knees in the distance, and all the ogres in the hall had followed suit.
"Great God of Destruction, since you've come all this way, then just make it quick," Quitela said through clenched teeth.
He had already accepted it.
What was coming was coming.
He had offended Broly completely.
Even if this had nothing to do with the Grand Priestess, Broly probably would not spare him.
He was only a soul now.
And even if he had still been alive, just the fact that he had caused Broly's father's death would have been reason enough for Broly to kill him.
"Make it quick? You want to die?" Broly asked.
Quitela said nothing.
Who wanted to die?
He had lived for who knew how many years.
Of course he did not want to die.
But Broly had tracked him all the way here, so what was the point of all this talking?
"All right. I came here intending to save you, but if you'd rather die, then I'll destroy you instead," Broly said, raising a hand toward Quitela's soul.
Quitela froze.
Save him?
"Great God of Destruction, spare me!" Quitela folded instantly and began kowtowing in desperation.
"So which is it? Do you want to live or die?" Broly asked.
"Live! I want to live! Of course I want to live!" Quitela nodded like a pecking chicken.
"Good." Broly took out the angelic power Ken had given him and tossed it onto Quitela.
The angelic power immediately began constructing a brand-new body for him.
In less than three seconds, the halo above Quitela's head vanished, his flesh was restored, and he was fully revived.
The moment Quitela revived, the Supreme Kai beside him revived automatically as well.
"Thank you, Great God of Destruction!" Quitela said, immediately bowing his head again.
"Thank you, Great God of Destruction!" Kuru also dropped down and bowed.
"Ken has already dealt with the Grand Priestess. We know everything that happened to you. From now on, just do the job you're supposed to do," Broly said, stepping forward and patting Quitela on the shoulder.
"Yes, Great God of Destruction!" Quitela bowed his head deeply.
The Great God of Destruction was such a good man.
He had offended him so badly in the past, and Broly had still come to save him.
And Ken was a good person too, just as worthy of being called a true angel.
Wait.
Had he heard that right just now?
Had Broly said Ken had dealt with the Grand Priestess?
"What happened to the Grand Priestess?" Quitela asked carefully.
"She's already under Ken's control," Broly said calmly.
"What… what did you just say?" Quitela's eyes widened in disbelief.
"That's all." Broly did not elaborate further. He quickly left Universe 4's Other World and flew toward Universe 7's Other World instead.
As for whether Quitela would be grateful, Broly could not have cared less.
He knew Ken's side was short on Gods of Destruction and Supreme Kais.
And as the Great God of Destruction, he knew better than anyone that they were short on Gods of Destruction.
So in his view, reviving Quitela had been the better choice.
Besides, when Quitela got his father killed back then, it really had been a case of good intentions turning bad.
And Broly honestly felt that living in the Other World was far better than living on that miserable, hostile planet.
After some more time passed, Broly finally arrived in Universe 7's Other World with Ai and floated above Hell, looking down.
Below them, in Hell, Paragus had been trussed up tightly and kicked to the ground.
He was kneeling in front of a monster Broly found extremely familiar.
The creature had green spotted skin and a pair of black, atrophied wings on its back.
"Cell, we heard this guy shouting a while ago, saying he's Broly's father!" one of the ogres said with a greasy grin, eager to please.
"Oh? Broly's father?" Cell snorted. "So it's that guy. I never got the chance to deal with Broly while I was alive. Since I'm dead now, I guess beating up his father will have to do."
Paragus said nothing.
Broly, you damned brat.
You made enemies over there, and once they died, they came down to Hell to torment me instead.
"I-I was lying," Paragus said quickly, waving his hands with a miserable expression. "I have nothing to do with Broly. I was just bluffing, hoping people would treat me with some respect."
"What's your name?" Cell asked with a smile.
"His name is Paragus," one of the ogres answered.
"That sounds like a Saiyan name, and you look a bit like Broly too. If you're not his father, then am I supposed to be?" Cell snorted, then ordered his subordinates, "Beat him. Just don't break his soul apart. I want him to wish he were dead."
"Cell… that wording's a little off. We're already dead, so saying 'wish he were dead' isn't really accurate," one underling pointed out earnestly.
Cell fired a blast of energy and blew the idiot's soul apart on the spot.
What the hell did his phrasing have to do with him?
"Beat him!" Cell barked.
After dying and ending up in Hell, Cell had turned himself into a local tyrant.
Since he was already dead, he might as well enjoy being the boss here.
He no longer had any real interest in getting stronger. Without a living body, it was too hard to make progress anyway.
The ogres immediately began pummeling Paragus.
He cried out again and again, suffering beyond words.
Broly knew he could not just keep watching. He slowly descended from the sky and landed beside them.
Before Broly even had to make a move, Ai unleashed a blast of electricity that instantly fried the ogres attacking Paragus into dust.
"Broly?" Cell looked over and was first shocked, then delighted. "So you died too? Excellent! I never thought we'd meet here!"
"Broly? My son, you finally remembered your father!" Paragus cried, tears in his eyes as he rushed forward and grabbed Broly's hand tightly.
"What a touching reunion," Cell said, clapping his hands with a wide grin.
Broly extended a finger and aimed it at Cell's soul.
"What are you trying to do? You think you can challenge me?" Cell snorted, completely unafraid.
But the moment he finished speaking, he realized his body was swelling uncontrollably.
"What's going on? What did you do to me?" he cried out.
Then his soul exploded into motes of light and vanished completely.
"Broly, you've become even stronger than before! Wonderful, truly wonderful!" Paragus said excitedly, his face full of delight.
Broly said nothing.
Someone like Cell was far too insignificant. Destroying him was effortless.
"Father, have you reflected on what you did?" Broly asked, staring at Paragus seriously.
"Reflected? Is that how you speak to your father?" Paragus roared in anger. "What exactly am I supposed to reflect on? I did nothing wrong! Don't forget, I'm the one who raised you! And now you're telling your own father to reflect? What kind of son are you? Hey, wait! Don't walk away! Stop right there! Did you hear me? Get back here!"
Broly flew up into the sky with Ai and stopped looking back at him.
Father, why won't you reflect even now?
I wanted to bring you back to life.
"Stay here and think carefully about yourself," Broly said at last. "I hope one day you'll truly come to regret what you've done."
With that, he flew away from the Other World with Ai.
"Stop! Come back! I'll reflect! I was wrong!" Paragus screamed hysterically.
But Broly was already gone.
…
Three days later.
Ken finally completed the fusion process and slowly descended from the sky, landing beside the Grand Priestess.
Now that the energy had merged perfectly, his level had risen a little further.
Not enough for a full level-up, but the decimal had increased by at least 0.5.
The Grand Priestess slowly woke up and glared at Ken furiously.
This bastard had left her unconscious for three whole days.
"Not bad," Ken said, feeling extremely pleased with himself, his smile growing wider and wider.
Seeing that bright, satisfied smile on his face, the Grand Priestess felt miserable.
"There are still three incarnations left. If I find them and take their energy too, I should be able to hit level 77, right?" Ken said thoughtfully, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Hmph. Dream on," the Grand Priestess snorted. "The other three are much weaker. Even if you absorb all of them, gaining one level would already be impressive."
Ken ignored her, took out his staff, and analyzed the remaining three incarnations.
Sure enough, just as the Grand Priestess had said, the last three were far below Temat and the others.
Two of them were only around level 10.
The remaining one had reached about level 15.
Compared to Temat's group, though, they were not much to look at.
Ken suddenly thought of the Grand Priest.
He wondered how the Grand Priest was doing.
Should he get in touch and see whether he was still alive?
If the Grand Priest had died… this world would become a much less safe place.
After thinking it over seriously, Ken used his staff to contact Merus.
Ever since Merus had left Earth, he had been feeling thoroughly miserable.
The God of Destruction candidates he had raised had all been poached by Ken.
It was enough to drive him mad.
At that point, Merus had pretty much sworn he would never train another God of Destruction again.
Still, after a year of recovery, his mindset had gradually calmed down, and he had shifted his focus back to the Galactic Patrol.
Today, he had just returned from capturing a group of criminals.
The Galactic King had even personally awarded him a medal.
But after Merus returned to his room, he suddenly felt the staff inside his body give a slight tremor.
He felt a little uneasy.
He knew that meant Ken was calling.
After hesitating for a moment, Merus took out the staff and opened a video call.
"Ken, it's been a while. How have you been?" Merus asked with a smile.
But as soon as he finished speaking, his eyes flicked to the side and landed on the maid-clad Grand Priestess nearby.
Merus immediately fell silent.
So Ken was into maid play now?
He really knew how to have fun.
Because the Grand Priestess had been reborn and knew Ken was contacting Merus, she hurriedly lowered her head, afraid he might recognize her.
And because of that, Merus really did fail to recognize her.
Not just Merus, either. In her current appearance, even Kusu would probably have trouble recognizing her unless the Grand Priestess admitted who she was.
"I'm fine," Ken said with a smile and a nod.
"Did you need something from me?" Merus asked.
"I've been working on a new dish lately, and I was thinking of inviting someone over to taste it," Ken said.
Merus brightened at once.
"I'm your best friend, so I'm the one you thought of, right?"
"No. I want to invite the Grand Priest to try it," Ken said, shaking his head. "I just feel a little awkward asking him directly, so I thought you could check whether he has time."
Merus fell silent.
That one went straight through the heart.
Ken had come up with a delicious new dish, and it was for his father.
That really left him speechless.
"So you want me to ask him for you?" Merus said, wiping away imaginary sweat.
"Exactly. You're the Grand Priest's son, so it makes more sense for you to ask. If I invite him directly, it might come off as a bit too sudden," Ken said with a nod.
"All right… I'll ask him," Merus said with a helpless laugh.
"Thanks. And if the Grand Priest agrees to come, you should come too," Ken added.
"Is it really that good?" Merus asked suspiciously. "It's not going to be something like those starch sausages again, is it? If it is, then I think I'll pass."
"No, no. It's definitely good. You can trust me," Ken said confidently.
"All right. I'll contact the Grand Priest now," Merus said.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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