On the vast plains of Planet Namek, the strange phenomena brought by Porunga had long since dissipated, and the sky had returned to its usual brightness with its three suns.
Supreme Kai Shin and his attendant Kibito stood to the side, the handprints on their faces not yet completely faded, their expressions still holding a trace of shock and an imperceptible awe.
Nail stood respectfully to the side, awaiting Whitley's instructions.
Seeing that the initial communication with the Supreme Kai was finally complete, Whitley had no intention of staying any longer.
That restless blue giant star, Holisfi, was still waiting for him to deal with it, and...
He glanced at Whis, who seemed to be daydreaming about dinner again, and sighed internally.
If he didn't hurry back, he might not even get any leftovers.
Although Vados's appetite didn't look that big, if she really let loose and ate without restraint...
He turned to the quietly waiting Nail and said in a peaceful tone:
"Well then, we're leaving. Nail, please give my regards to your Grand Elder."
Hearing this, Nail immediately bowed in response.
"Yes, Lord Whitley. I will be sure to deliver your message."
Whitley nodded and turned to walk towards Whis, preparing to call the two Supreme Kais to leave.
However, he had only taken two steps when Nail's slightly urgent and nervous voice came from behind:
"Please wait a moment, Lord Whitley!"
Whitley paused and turned around in confusion, looking at Nail, whose expression seemed to have struggled for a moment before quickly turning resolute.
"What's wrong? Is there something else?"
Nail took a deep breath, took two steps forward, and bowed deeply to Whitley again, his voice carrying the unique persistence of a martial artist.
"Could I ask the Lord God of Destruction to spar with me? I want to know if my current self, when facing a god like you, has... has any power to fight back at all? I want to truly feel how big the gap is between myself and a true master!"
Whis, who was about to leave, immediately stopped. He pulled out a bag of exquisite snacks from somewhere with a "swish." (Whitley: Aren't those the Oracle Fish's snacks?)
An interested expression appeared on his face. His "I'm-ready-for-a-good-show" leisurely posture made it clear that he was not going to miss this sudden excitement.
Whitley raised an eyebrow in surprise and then suddenly laughed at the Namekian warrior before him.
"To dare to challenge a god, it seems you are also a very pure martial artist, Nail."
He turned his head and glanced at Whis, who was munching on his snacks with a "crunch crunch."
Whis shrugged, his smile unchanging, and said in a light tone:
"There's still a little time, but we can't delay for too long, Whitley~~ It would be terrible to miss dinner."
Whitley nodded in understanding and, looking at Nail who had already assumed a fighting stance and was beginning to gather his ki, he beckoned casually.
"You heard him. I'm in a hurry. Come at me with all you've got."
"Haaa—!!!"
Nail let out a low shout, and a white aura instantly erupted from his body!
The powerful energy fluctuations made the ground beneath his feet tremble slightly.
Knowing full well what kind of being he was facing, he didn't dare to hold back in the slightest. He went all out from the very beginning!
His figure suddenly blurred, turning into a white streak of light as he charged towards Whitley at an astonishing speed!
Fists, feet, elbows, knees... every part of his body became a sharp weapon, creating a whistling sound in the air as they rained down on Whitley like a storm!
However, in the face of this furious assault, Whitley didn't even move his feet.
He just calmly held up the index finger of his right hand.
Thud! Clack! Thud! Thud!
A series of dense and crisp impact sounds rang out. Nail's fierce attacks, powerful enough to split mountains and crack rocks, were all blocked with pinpoint accuracy by that one seemingly slender finger!
That finger seemed to contain infinite power and absolute precision. Each light touch perfectly neutralized the strongest point of force in Nail's attacks.
Nail's expression instantly changed, and cold sweat gradually beaded on his temples.
He could feel that each of his attacks was like hitting an indestructible, invisible wall. All his power was easily dissipated—even the rebound force made his arms faintly numb.
"Just... just one finger?!"
A storm raged in Nail's heart.
"Just a single finger has completely nullified my attacks?! Is... is this the power of a god?!"
A strong sense of frustration and unwillingness welled up in his heart, but his pride as a warrior would not let him give up so easily.
He abruptly stopped his almost-ineffective close-range assault. Using the rebound force from a clash, his body performed several quick backflips, creating a great distance from Whitley.
After landing steadily, Nail quickly brought his hands together in front of his chest.
A pale purple ki began to gather rapidly, emitting a dazzling light and astonishing energy fluctuations!
He was clearly planning to use his strongest ki blast to decide the match!
Seeing this stance, Whitley shook his head slightly, his tone tinged with a hint of resignation.
"Sigh, I don't know what level of force to use to just knock you back without hurting you. If you get injured because of this, I apologize."
As he spoke, he still had a relaxed expression, simply pointing the raised index finger at Nail, who was charging up, his face red from the gathering energy.
A small, seemingly insignificant white ki blast, the size of a ping-pong ball, quietly appeared at his fingertip.
At the same time, Nail's ultimate technique was ready!
"Please be careful, Lord Whitley! My strongest attack, the Mystic Flasher!!!"
Nail roared and thrust out all of his ki without reservation. An incredibly thick purple energy beam roared towards Whitley, carving a deep trench in the ground where it passed!
Facing this magnificent attack, Whitley just gently flicked his finger.
Swoosh—!
The small white ki blast shot out silently, meeting Nail's all-out attack, which was powerful enough to destroy a small planet.
The next moment, a scene that left Nail dumbfounded occurred!
The small white ki blast, upon contact with the huge purple beam, was not annihilated. Instead, it effortlessly tore through Nail's blast wave!
The white ki blast shot upstream, its speed not decreasing in the slightest!
Wherever it passed, the purple energy beam disintegrated and vanished! It completely neutralized and pierced through it in an utterly unreasonable manner!
"What?!"
Nail's pupils contracted, his face filled with disbelief.
He tried his best to maintain his energy output but found it was completely futile!
The destructive power contained in that small ki blast was so insanely violent it was far beyond his comprehension!
Seeing that Nail wasn't dodging and was still trying to block, Whitley was momentarily stunned.
He quickly shouted, "Hey! Are you an idiot?! Get out of the way! You can't just take that head-on!"
However, Nail gritted his teeth and, instead, unleashed all of his remaining ki, actually planning to take it head-on!
"Ugh, aaaaaah—!"
Nail let out a desperate roar.
Under his despairing gaze...
BOOM—!!!!!!!!
An earth-shattering explosion suddenly erupted, shaking the entire great plain violently!
A violent shockwave of energy instantly spread out, kicking up a cloud of dust and rubble!
When the dust had settled a little, a huge, bottomless crater, over several hundred meters in diameter, had appeared where Nail had been standing!
The edge of the crater was a perfect circle, as if it had been hit head-on by a small asteroid.
Scorching heat waves were still rolling out from the bottom of the crater, distorting the surrounding air.
Whitley's heart skipped a beat, and he had a very bad premonition.
He quickly flashed to the edge of the giant crater and looked down, but the bottom was still shrouded in thick smoke and steam, so he couldn't see anything clearly.
"Whoosh—!"
Whitley, somewhat anxiously, blew out a breath. A strong gust of wind instantly blew away all the thick smoke and dust in the crater.
The scene at the bottom of the giant crater was clearly revealed—
Nail was half-buried in the scorching rock and soil. The upper half of his body that was exposed was charred black, and the two arms that had been trying to block the attack had completely disappeared! Only some burnt marks remained on his shoulders.
His eyes were tightly closed, and his ki was extremely weak. He was clearly on the verge of death!
"Crap!"
Whitley's expression changed. He fumbled in the pockets of his battle suit.
"Senzu Beans! Where did I put the Senzu Beans?!"
Supreme Kai Shin also came over. Seeing Nail's miserable state at the bottom of the crater, his face showed shock and pity.
Although he didn't completely trust Whitley, he knew that the Namekians were a peace-loving race. Seeing one on the brink of death from a sparring match, he couldn't just stand by.
"Kibito!" Shin said in a low voice.
"Yes, Lord Supreme Kai!"
Kibito immediately understood, and the two of them jumped into the deep crater at the same time.
Shin used a trace of his Supreme Kai divine power and carefully "pulled" Nail out of the scorching earth and rocks.
Kibito assisted on the side. The two of them worked together to bring the dying Nail back to the edge of the crater and laid him flat beside Whitley.
Seeing Nail's weak breathing and almost non-existent life signs, Whitley finally found a Senzu Bean in his pocket. He quickly knelt down, pried open Nail's mouth, and stuffed the Senzu Bean inside.
"Please, it has to work... otherwise, I'll wake up in the middle of the night and curse myself for being such an idiot."
Whitley watched nervously. He only breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Nail's throat move slightly, swallowing the Senzu Bean.
Although he didn't mind a few injuries in a sparring match, to accidentally kill someone like this, even for a guy like him who was ruthless to his enemies, would fill his heart with guilt.
But fortunately, the effect of the Senzu Bean was immediate.
Nail's severe injuries healed at a visible, rapid rate. The charred skin quickly fell off and regenerated.
Even more miraculously, flesh was wildly regenerating at the stumps of his shoulders. Two brand new arms grew back in just a few breaths, instantly restored to factory settings!
"Cough! Ahem!"
Nail coughed violently a few times and then opened his eyes. He instinctively did a kip-up and flipped to his feet.
He moved his new arms, his face filled with astonishment and bewilderment.
Seeing this, Whitley finally let out a long sigh of relief. The stone in his heart was finally lifted.
Then he said irritably to Nail:
"You could have dodged that just now! Why didn't you? Even though I was holding back, it wasn't something you could take head-on!"
A look of shame appeared on Nail's face upon hearing this. He was silent for a moment before speaking slowly, his tone complicated.
"I don't know... It's just... at that moment, there was a voice in my heart constantly telling me that if I wanted to get stronger, if I wanted to truly protect Namek, I could fail, and I could die when facing an overwhelming force. But I could not lose the courage to face it... and then I... I..."
He didn't seem to know how to accurately describe that impulse.
Whitley listened with some exasperation and couldn't help but complain in his heart:
"Are you trying to cosplay as Zoro for me?"
But looking at Nail's ashamed yet martially stubborn face, he couldn't bring himself to scold him anymore.
He could only sigh and shake his head.
"Honestly, what a mess! What was all that about..."
He quickly walked over to Whis, who was still watching the show and eating snacks, and then said to Supreme Kai Shin and the attendant Kibito:
"Come on over, put your hands on Whis's shoulder. We should be going."
Supreme Kai Shin seemed to still be immersed in Nail's words about "getting stronger and protecting," a thoughtful expression on his face.
The attendant Kibito beside him saw this and quickly reminded him in a low voice, "Lord Supreme Kai."
Shin came back to his senses. He looked at Nail with a complex expression, then at Whitley, and only then did he and Kibito walk over and place their hands on Whis's shoulders.
Whitley finally said to Nail, who seemed to be still reliving the brief but shocking battle:
"I owe you one for this. If your Planet Namek ever faces an unstoppable enemy in the future, you can call out Whis's name, and he will notify me. At that time, I will help you once."
Whis, at the side, nodded with a smile and added:
"Notifying you is no problem. Whitley, as for the price... how about a fine meal of roast beef? A portion for three, as usual~"
Whitley was instantly speechless, completely at a loss with this gluttonous angel who was always thinking about food.
"Deal!"
He replied irritably.
A brilliant stream of light flashed. Whis tapped his staff, and the figures of the group instantly vanished from the plains of Namek.
Only Nail was left on the plain, which was scarred with a deep crater. He stood there, still.
He looked at the place where they had departed with a complex expression. The little bit of pride he had as the "strongest warrior of Namek" had pretty much dissipated by now.
That one finger, that tiny ki blast... the sense of powerlessness it brought was so profound.
Just then, the Grand Elder's old and gentle voice suddenly sounded in Nail's mind:
"Nail."
Nail immediately composed himself, closed his eyes, and replied respectfully in his mind:
"Yes, Grand Elder. What are your orders?"
"There is no need to be discouraged, my child."
The Grand Elder's voice was comforting.
"You must know that in the vast, boundless universe, there are countless planets, and the number of strong beings born on them is innumerable. You are still young, and the road ahead is long. As long as you train hard and constantly surpass yourself, you will one day become much stronger than you are now."
Nail opened his eyes. The confusion and discouragement in them were gradually replaced by a firm light.
He clenched his newly grown fists and replied in a deep voice:
"Yes, Grand Elder! Nail understands! I will work even harder to become stronger in the future. I must have enough power to better protect you and the safety of Namek!"
But after a moment of hesitation, he couldn't help but ask the Grand Elder in his heart:
"But... Grand Elder, do I really... really have a chance, one day in the future, to catch up to that young Lord God of Destruction?"
The voice in his mind was silent for a while, as if thinking about how to answer without discouraging Nail.
After a long time, the Grand Elder's wise voice slowly sounded, giving only two words in response:
"Work hard."
...
Perhaps he was really worried about not making it back to the God of Destruction's Realm in time for dinner, because Whis's spatial travel was exceptionally fast this time.
The surrounding stars became elongated streaks of light, and in less than five seconds, the scene before them suddenly stabilized.
The huge, restless, and ominous blue giant star—Holisfi—once again appeared before them.
Its huge volume occupied a large part of their vision, and the extremely unstable energy fluctuations coming from its core were like a super-giant bomb that could detonate at any moment, exuding a heart-pounding pressure.
Supreme Kai Shin looked at the huge star before him, feeling the scorching heat and destructive energy, and was somewhat stunned.
He subconsciously swallowed and looked carefully at Whitley.
"The... thing you said needed to be dealt with... is this star?"
The size and energy level of this star were far beyond his imagination. The intense fluctuations from its on-the-verge-of-collapse core, in particular, made the young Supreme Kai's scalp tingle.
And that wasn't the most critical part. The most critical part was Whitley's previous plan—Whitley would destroy the star, and he, the Supreme Kai, would use all his power to stabilize the space and dissipate the terrifying energy aftershock that could sweep through the surrounding star fields after the star was destroyed.
This... this task was way too difficult! He was just a "young" Supreme Kai of a few tens of thousands of years old!
He hadn't had time to learn many of the advanced divine arts left by his predecessors!
Shin looked at Whitley, who was staring at him with an expectant gaze, and an embarrassed and difficult expression appeared on his face.
He hesitated for a moment before finally speaking honestly.
"I'm... I'm very sorry, Mr. Whitley. This matter, I probably... can't do it."
"Huh?"
Whitley's expression was a little surprised.
"Aren't you the Supreme Kai in charge of creation? Aren't you a professional at dealing with things like out-of-control energy and stabilizing space? How can you not even do something like this?"
From some of the knowledge about gods he had learned in the God of Destruction's Realm, the power of the Supreme Kai should be just right for this matter.
Supreme Kai Shin's face became even more embarrassed. His pale red skin turned a deep red.
He explained in a low, embarrassed voice:
"Th-theoretically, that's correct. But I'm still too young, and before... I haven't learned and mastered many of the advanced divine arts for stabilizing energy dissipation. If the Grand Supreme Kai and the other seniors were still here, they could definitely do it easily. But... they were all taken by Majin Buu..."
Speaking of the sad part, Shin's expression became a little painful and gloomy, clearly remembering the tragedy that had led to the near-withering of the Sacred World of the Kais.
Whitley looked at him and was silent for a moment. The little bit of anger he had felt from his previous "idiot" behavior also dissipated.
He sighed, stepped forward, and gently patted Shin's shoulder, his tone uncharacteristically gentle as he comforted him.
"Alright, don't be too sad about the past. When we have time later, I'll help you take care of that Majin Buu completely. It'll save you from being suspicious of everyone you see in the future, thinking they're with Babidi."
Shin quickly wiped away a tear that had inadvertently seeped from the corner of his eye and looked up at Whitley with sincere gratitude.
"Really? Thank you, Mr. Whitley!"
"It's nothing."
Whitley waved his hand, then his gaze turned to Whis, who was standing beside them, admiring the beauty of the starry sky as if it had nothing to do with him. His tone instantly became less polite.
"You saw that, Whis. Stop slacking. It's your turn to step in. The little Supreme Kai can't be relied on for now."
Whis sighed lightly, a "this-child-is-unteachable" look of helplessness on his face, and said in a preachy tone:
"Whitley, you can't be like this. As a God of Destruction, you have to learn to handle various emergencies and difficult problems on your own. If you always rely on an angel... what will you do in the future when you become an official God of Destruction and encounter a situation that requires you to make a decision on your own? This is a very good training opportunity~"
Looking at Whis, who was talking so reasonably, as if everything was for his own good, Whitley sneered without any politeness and directly exposed his "slacking" nature.
"Whis! Do you want to guess why Lord Zeno and the Grand Minister assign an angel to every God of Destruction? Is it to cheer on the sidelines and watch the show? Hmm?"
"Ahem!"
Whis was choked for a moment and coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment, immediately and very naturally changing the subject.
He elegantly tapped the void with his staff, and an invisible fluctuation instantly spread out, enveloping the blue giant star before them and the space they were in.
"Alright, alright, Whitley. I've temporarily sealed and reinforced this space. But the effect will only last for three minutes~ Hurry up and make your move!"
The usual smile returned to Whis's face, as if he weren't the one who had just been trying to slack off.
Whitley was both annoyed and amused, having gained a new understanding of the thickness of this slacker angel's skin.
It was something he could have easily handled with a wave of his hand, but he had to go through such a roundabout way to trick him into doing it.
He wasted no more words, raised his hand and aimed at the restless blue giant star. A deep, dark purple destructive energy instantly gathered in his palm.
"Go!"
With his low voice, a condensed, dark purple beam shot out and accurately sank into the core of the blue giant!
A silent, giant firework show appeared before them.
The huge blue star, like a popped bubble, began to disintegrate from the inside out.
Its vast matter and terrifying energy, under the effect of the God of Destruction's power, were quickly turned into the most primitive particles, and finally completely dissipated into the universe!
A faint ripple of energy rippled within the spatial barrier that Whis had set up and then quickly subsided.
A potential cosmic disaster that could have destroyed a star field spanning several light-years was thus lightly resolved.
Whitley retracted his hand, feeling the power that had been instantly released and then instantly restrained. He pursed his lips at Whis and said:
"Whis, from now on, your nickname is 'Slacker Angel.' I think it's very fitting."
Whis, with a smile, elegantly objected.
"I must refuse this insufficiently elegant title, Whitley."
"Objection overruled!"
Whitley snorted and brought out his trump card.
"If you still want to eat delicious food from Earth, like hot pot, barbecue, ice cream cake, and so on... you'll have to accept this nickname!"
The smile on Whis's face instantly stiffened for a moment. He was clearly in a great struggle.
On one side was the elegant title of an angel, on the other was the supreme delicacy of Earth... The choice was too difficult!
A few seconds later, a look of compromise appeared on Whis's face, his tone becoming very serious.
"Whitley, about this title... I think we can discuss it further. If Miss Bulma regularly provides those delicious meals... being called 'Slacker Angel'... doesn't seem completely unacceptable..."
Whitley looked at him with utter amazement.
"Are you serious?! I was just kidding! You'd give up your integrity for a bit of food? Are you serious?"
Whis immediately put on a solemn expression and said in a very serious tone:
"Whitley, you are still young. There are some life... oh no, divine life pleasures you don't yet understand. The pleasure brought by delicious food, especially that ultimate taste experience, in my heart, surpasses the existence of a name."
Whitley: "..."
He was completely defeated.
Beside them, Supreme Kai Shin watched the interaction between the two, a hint of envy unconsciously in his eyes.
Although he also had Kibito guarding him all year round, Kibito always maintained an absolute respect for him and would never dare to joke or even argue with him as casually as Whis did with Whitley.
He hadn't experienced this kind of relaxed and harmonious relationship for a very, very long time.
He couldn't help but say with a bit of emotion:
"The... the relationship between you two is really good."
Hearing this, Whitley and Whis instantly turned to look at him at the same time and replied almost in unison:
"Shin, are you serious?"
"Ara~ Are you serious, Supreme Kai?"
After speaking, the two gave each other a disgusted look.
"Hehehe..."
Supreme Kai Shin chuckled awkwardly, realizing that he had probably said the wrong thing. The relationship between the two before him seemed "good" to the point where they might start arguing again at any moment.
After dealing with the star crisis, Supreme Kai Shin and Kibito took their leave and returned to the Sacred World of the Kais. They needed to properly digest the huge amount of information they had received today.
And Whitley and Whis, amidst their usual bickering and mutual complaints, turned into a stream of light and returned to the God of Destruction's Realm.
...
In the God of Destruction's Realm, in the modern house built by Bulma with DynoCaps.
A huge and astonished scream suddenly came from the bedroom on the second floor. Its piercing power was so strong that it startled Whitley, who had just stepped into the living room.
"Yaaaah—!!!"
Bulma was holding a small mirror, her big blue eyes wide.
Her face was filled with disbelief as she looked at her reflection from left to right.
"Honey! Honey! I... I've gotten younger!!!"
Seeing Whitley return, Bulma immediately bounced up to him like a startled rabbit, holding up the mirror, her voice excited and a little incoherent.
Whitley was stunned for a moment, then a wicked smile appeared on his face.
He expertly wrapped his arm around Bulma's waist, while his other, not-so-well-behaved hand began to roam up and down, deliberately misinterpreting her words.
"Where did you get smaller? Let me see... there's no change at all, still so alluring~"
"Pah! Pervert! What are you thinking!"
Bulma's face flushed, and she irritably swatted away his naughty little hands, pouting.
"I'm talking about my age! My age! You silly husband with an unhealthy mind! Why did I just wake up from a nap and become... become so young?! My skin is so much better too! This is even better than when I was eighteen!"
She suddenly thought of something, and her gaze, burning, turned to the proud, smiling Whitley. She guessed with pleasant surprise:
"It was you, wasn't it? You did this, right?"
Whitley had a "praise-me-quick" look of pride on his face and nodded vigorously.
"That's right! When I was out working with Whis today, I happened to go to Planet Namek, the home of Kami. The Dragon Balls there are much more powerful than Earth's! So I made a wish to have you return to eighteen! How about it, are you surprised? Are you happy?"
Hearing that it was Whitley who had made the wish for her, a huge sense of pleasant surprise instantly flooded her.
She jumped up, her legs quickly wrapping around Whitley's waist, her arms tightly around his neck as she excitedly planted several kisses on his face.
"A surprise! Such a surprise! You're the best, honey! Mwah! Mwah!"
But after the excitement, she looked at Whitley with a little hesitation and worry.
"But... isn't this a little... not good? To use the Dragon Balls for such a wish... will there be any price or side effects? And..."
She touched her smooth, firm cheek.
"It feels a little strange, as if I've suddenly stolen a lot of time."
Whitley held her and laughed easily.
"Don't worry, the power of the Namekian Dragon Balls is very strong, so there's no possibility of side effects. As for the price?"
He chuckled.
"The price is that your husband, me, will have to 'work' even harder in the future to be worthy of my beautiful and charming wife!"
As he spoke, he scooped Bulma up and turned towards the bedroom.
"Eh? What are you doing? Put me down!"
Bulma cried out, a blush flying onto her small face.
"What am I doing? Of course, I'm going to personally test if the effect of the Dragon Balls is really that magical! To see if you've really returned to eighteen? Let's go, to the room! Let's 'study' this properly!"
With a wicked smile on his face, Whitley, holding the giggling and playfully hitting Bulma, quickly disappeared around the corner of the stairs.
And at this moment, in the dining room of the house next door, another "intense" scene was taking place.
Whis and his sister, Vados, were engaged in a silent but swift battle over a plate of freshly baked, fragrant roast beef.
Chopsticks and chopsticks crossed in the air, so fast they were just afterimages.
"Ara~ sister, I saw that piece of wagyu beef first~"
"Ara~ Whis, there's no room for politeness in front of delicious food. It's every man for himself."
"Heh..."
Clearly, for an angel, the priority of enjoying delicious food was always the highest.
After all, not everyone could be like Whitley, who could instantly recover all his stamina with just a single Senzu Bean...
---
[Get 10+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"]
300 Power Stones = 1 Bônus Chapter