Mount Paozu.
The afternoon sun warmed the valley.
Chi-Chi set up a huge pot that could cook a whole wild boar, and several groups of Chef Robot were busy behind her.
Steam bubbled out from the gap in the pot lid, and the rich aroma of meat mixed with the burnt aroma of firewood spread domineeringly in the air.
Goku squatted beside the pot, his saliva almost dripping into the soil.
Gohan was sitting on the steps reading a book, the glasses on the bridge of his nose slid to the tip of his nose. He was unaware, immersed in the world of words.
Broly stood on the grass in the distance, his bare feet stepping deeply into the soft green grass.
He lowered his head and plucked the grass blades with his toes in a novel way. His movements were clumsy but extremely serious, as if he was feeling the gentlest pulse of the planet.
Paragus was sitting next to him, using a knife to sharpen a wooden stick he picked up from somewhere without saying a word.
Raditz was leaning alone against the tree trunk on the hillside, with his arms crossed on his chest and his eyes staring blankly at the flowing clouds in the sky.
His Battle Power is at the bottom of this group of monsters. This fact is like a dull knife, carving a new shadow on his face every day.
No one laughed at him, but this kind of ignorance made him feel more uncomfortable than any ridicule.
Gine brought out a plate of cut fruits from the house and placed it on the table in the middle of the yard.
She wiped her hands and glanced in the direction of Raditz,
Her lips moved, trying to call him over, but in the end it just turned into an undetectable sigh.
Bardock is not in the yard.
He was sitting cross-legged deep in the grass in the open space behind the house, eyes closed.
Super Saiyan Blue's body has not fully recovered due to the huge consumption.
The cold and sacred power of Super Saiyan God is slowly settling in the blood.
With every breath, he could feel the power flowing slowly like a glacier deep in his meridians.
Occasionally, a faint blue light would emit uncontrollably from his fingertips, and it would disappear briefly.
Krillin fell in front of him, not even a blade of grass was disturbed.
Martial Dao True God-level movement, as quiet as if he had been standing there from the beginning.
Bardock opened his eyes, his eyes as sharp as an eagle.
"I thought you were still drinking tea."
Krillin was sitting on the floor opposite him, less than two steps away.
Bardock looked at him and said nothing.
Krillin doesn't like to beat around the bush, get straight to the point.
"God of Destruction Quitela of Universe 4, is dead."
Bardock's face didn't show a trace of ripples.
God of Destruction This kind of existence is too far away for him.
He has been wallowing in mud and blood all his life, and there is an insurmountable class between him and that kind of superior god.
"If he is dead, what does it have to do with me?"
Krillin grabbed a handful of grass beside him and twisted it unconsciously between his fingers.
"His position is vacant, and I'm considering who should take his place."
Bardock's eyebrows wrinkled almost imperceptibly, and he noticed something was wrong.
Krillin threw away the grass clippings in his hand and looked directly at him calmly.
"I want you to go."
For a moment, the wind in the valley seemed to have stopped.
Chi-Chi's angry roar could be heard in the distance, scolding Goku not to eat secretly. Goku's aggrieved voice was blown intermittently by the wind.
Bardock The muscles on his face froze.
He stared at Krillin for more than ten seconds, as if to confirm whether the other party was making a bad joke.
"You... want me to be God of Destruction?" His voice was hoarse and dry.
"Yes."
Bardock lowered his head and looked at his rough palms covered with calluses and scars.
These hands have cleaned countless planets for Frieza, and are stained with countless blood and sins.
The only thing he has done in his life that can be called "honor",
It was at the last moment of Planet Vegeta's destruction that, like a moth, it rushed towards Frieza's energy ball that could destroy everything.
A Low-Class Warrior.
A Battle Power once had less than 10,000 veterans.
When God of Destruction?
Bardock had a wry smile on his lips.
"Did you find the wrong person?"
Krillin shook his head with a calm tone.
"Bardock, you worked for Frieza before, executing his orders and destroying planets one after another."
"You know better than anyone else the nature of those things."
Bardock's palms tightened suddenly.
"I can't go back to the things I did. Are you trying to convince me now?"
"I'm not trying to convince you."
Krillin's tone was so calm that no emotion could be heard.
"I'm telling you, because of what you've done, you know better than anyone else what dire consequences the power of 'destruction' will have once it's abused."
Bardock was silent.
Krillin's words were like a needle, accurately piercing into the deepest part of his soul.
Krillin continues.
"Quitela regards the power of destruction as a toy to satisfy his selfish desires, and secretly instigates the rise and fall of civilization to preserve his ranking."
"He doesn't deserve to be in that position."
"But you are different."
Bardock slowly raised his head.
Krillin's eyes fell on him, calm, frank, and even with a hint of imperceptible... recognition.
"You have seen Hell at the lowest level. He has been a soldier on the front line and done the dirtiest work for a tyrant."
"You have also destroyed innocent civilizations with your own hands, and only then did you truly understand what Karmic Retribution is when your own planet was blown up."
Krillin's voice is very soft, but every word is like a hammer.
"Your understanding of 'destruction' was obtained with the blood of your people and the ashes of your hometown."
In the distant valley, Goku's carefree laughter could be heard faintly, like the sound of another world.
Bardock lowered his eyelids and his breathing became heavy and slow.
Krillin didn't rush him, just waited quietly.
After a long time, the wind blew through the grass again, blowing the few unruly strands of hair on Bardock's forehead.
"... What is God of Destruction's responsibility?" he finally said.
"Maintaining the balance of 'creation' and 'destruction' in the universe."
Krillin answered,
"When a civilization becomes decadent, stagnant, or even threatens the survival of the universe as a whole, God of Destruction takes action to end it."
"Thereby making room for the birth of new life and civilization."
"How is this different from what I did before?"
"The difference lies in purpose."
Krillin said,
"You used to serve Frieza's greed, and now you will serve the order of the entire universe."
"Before you had no choice but to execute orders."
"Being God of Destruction, every time you take action will be your own decision."
"You are responsible for every damage you do."
Bardock still feels a little unsure...
"I'm not even stable with Super Blue."
"This is not a problem. The power of God of Destruction is given by Zeno, which is a separate system from your own Battle Power."
"But the stronger your own foundation, the more accurate your control of Power of Destruction will be."
Krillin paused and added.
"Furthermore, although your Super Saiyan Blue is still in its prototype form,
But the combat instinct and adaptability you have demonstrated at that level have surpassed most so-called god-level beings."
Bardock raised his head and looked into the distance.
From this angle, he could see the roof of Capsule House. Chi-Chi's sheets were drying on the roof, and the pink fabric swelled into a full balloon in the wind.
In the yard, Goku was being dragged away from the pot by Chi-Chi's ears.
His son, a waste with only two points Battle Power when he was born, now stands at the top of the universe.
And what about himself?
After traveling through time and space and risking everything, I barely reached the threshold of Super Blue.
Putting this little power into the circle of Earth Warriors, it would not rank at all.
But now, Krillin wants him to be God of Destruction.
To protect the entire universe.
"Gine... Does she know?"
"I don't know yet. Let me ask your opinion first."
Bardock is silent again.
He thought of Gine's face.
That gentle, stubborn face that would never cry even if it had tears in its eyes.
He has been absent from her for too long.
After decades of life and death, wandering through time and space, they have only been reunited for a few days.
If he goes to Universe 4, it will be another long separation.
But another image burned in his mind like a brand.
Planet Vegeta The last moment before the explosion.
Frieza's face with a cruel smile, and that destructive ball of light that swallowed everything.
Countless Saiyan, babies, old people, soldiers, civilians...
All the screams were swallowed up by the white light, leaving not even a trace of echo.
If at that time, there was a truly responsible God of Destruction.
If Universe 7's Power of Destruction hadn't been slept by that lazy cat Beerus.
Frieza... Can you still be so unscrupulous?
Bardock's fists were on his knees, clenched inch by inch.
A Low-Class Warrior, go be God of Destruction.
This sounds ridiculous to the extreme.
But the whole thing, from the moment he came back from the dead, was full of absurdity.
He was supposed to be a revenant who died in the explosion.
He traveled through time, defeated the ancestor of Frieza, and was forcefully pulled back to this era.
His son is Super Saiyan 5, and his kin shine brightly on different Evolution Route.
And he, a dusty veteran,
After being stepped into the mud by Golden Frieza, he stood up biting the broken bones and punched out Super Saiyan Blue.
An absurd life may not need a common sense ending.
"Kakarot What should they do?" Bardock's voice was deep and rough.
Krillin To put it bluntly,
"Goku They don't need you to worry about."
"He has Chi-Chi watching over him, and he won't be able to escape even if he's hungry. What you should worry about is yourself and Gine."
Bardock is full of hope.
"Can she come with me?"
Krillin nodded.
"God of Destruction Realm has no rule against bringing family members. Universe 12's God of Destruction Jin even brought three pets. If you bring your wife there, it doesn't count."
Bardock's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
Krillin added another sentence.
"Universe 4's Angel is called Cognac. He has a good temper and good craftsmanship."
"When the time comes, you will partner with her, she will be responsible for daily affairs, and you will be responsible for taking action at critical moments."
"Most of the time, you can continue to practice."
"Practice?"
"Of course."
Krillin Of course,
"You think God of Destruction doesn't need to become stronger?"
"The upper limit of Power of Destruction depends on the user's basic strength."
"Your current Super Blue is just a prototype. When you are completely stable and cooperate with God of Destruction's authority, your Battle Power will usher in a qualitative leap."
An irrepressible light finally flashed through the depths of Bardock's pupils.
That is the instinctive excitement that belongs to Saiyan and cannot be suppressed when hearing the word "get stronger".
He couldn't control this reaction, and he didn't want to.
"... I need to discuss it with Gine."
Krillin stood up and patted the grass clippings on his pants.
"Go ahead. Although there is no deadline, don't delay it too long."
"Universe 4 and Angel are supported by one person. Although there won't be any trouble in the short term, it will not be good in the long run."
Krillin turned around to leave, but then stopped as if he remembered something.
"Right."
Bardock looked up at him.
Krillin smiled,
"After you go there, if one day you feel that this position is not suitable or you are not happy at work,"
"You can resign at any time."
Bardock was completely stunned.
"God of Destruction... can you still resign?"
Krillin's smile has a hint of domineering,
"I couldn't do it before, but now I can."
Krillin is gone.
Bardock is sitting alone on the grass.
The sun gradually set towards the west, stretching his shadow very long on the ground.
His shadow covered a large area of grass, and when the wind moved the grass, the edges of the shadow trembled slightly.
The sound of Gine came from the front of the house, penetrating the evening breeze.
"Bardock, it's time to eat!"
That soft, slightly warm voice is exactly the same as it was decades ago.
Bardock Close your eyes, carve the sound into your heart, and then slowly open it.
He stood up and walked towards the house.
The pace is not fast, but every step is extremely solid.