"How can it be so heavy?"
Vitelli thought in surprise.
"That can't be right. With my current base power, shouldn't I be stronger than Son Gohan was when he transformed into a Super Saiyan 2?"
This gave him an even greater appreciation of the sword's unusual nature.
At last, with a crisp, clear clang, Vitelli pulled the Z Sword completely free!
The whole blade was revealed, radiating an ancient, mysterious aura.
"Phew!"
Vitelli let out a long breath, set the heavy Z Sword down on the grass in front of him with a thunk, and rolled his slightly sore wrist.
"Vitelli... san?"
Shin cautiously came closer, his gaze darting between Vitelli and the sword on the ground. His face was full of expectation and unease.
"Um... where is our ancestor? Didn't you say that if you pulled out this sword, our sealed ancestor would appear?"
He looked at Vitelli with a questioning expression, afraid his hopes would be dashed.
Vitelli smiled, bent down, and picked up the Z Sword again, casually weighing it in his hand a few times as he felt its extraordinary heft.
"Don't rush, Shin. I seem to remember that Supreme Kais can create things out of thin air, right? You should be able to conjure metal directly. First, make a piece of the hardest metal in the universe."
Shin looked confused.
"I can, but... what do you need it for? Do you want to make a scabbard for this divine sword? I could just conjure a perfect scabbard for it."
As far as he was concerned, they should treat the sword containing their ancestor with more reverence.
Vitelli wore an exasperated expression and waved a hand.
"Don't worry about all that. Just make it. I have a use for it."
"R-right."
Though Shin was full of questions, he did as he was asked.
He reached out and lightly pointed at an empty patch of ground.
Light gathered in the air, and a massive, perfectly square block of metal with a dark metallic sheen landed on the soft grass with a heavy thud. The ground trembled slightly as it struck.
"This is the hardest alloy currently known in the universe. Its structural stability and strength are..."
Before Shin could finish, what happened next made both him and Kibito's eyes widen in shock, their jaws nearly hitting the ground!
Without warning, Vitelli swung the Z Sword in his hand, tracing a powerful arc as if he were wielding a wooden staff, and slashed hard at the metal block reputed to be the hardest in the universe!
"Ah!!! Vitelli-san!!! Wh-what are you doing?!"
Shin clapped both hands over his face and let out a piercing shriek!
There was a sharp crack!
The Z Sword, which had endured countless ages and seemed indestructible, snapped in two the instant it struck the metal!
The upper half of the blade spun through the air and landed on the grass nearby with a clatter.
The scene fell into dead silence.
Shin had turned to stone. He stared blankly at the divine sword, broken in two on the ground, his face drained of color.
His lips quivering as if the world had ended, he dropped to his knees and frantically tried to cast a restoration spell on the sword. His voice was already breaking into tears.
"The divine sword... the Z Sword... it's broken... How could this...? Our ancestor is gone..."
Seeing him act as if the world were about to end, Vitelli smiled helplessly.
"Hey, I'm saying... why don't you look behind you first?"
Shin couldn't take in a word of it. His heart was bleeding.
His mind was filled with thoughts like "The sacred artifact is destroyed," "I'm a sinner," and "I've let all our ancestors down."
He paid no attention to Vitelli, desperately trying to put the broken sword back together.
Kibito, his attendant, was also deeply shocked, but he had heard Vitelli.
He stiffly turned his neck and looked behind Shin.
At the sight, his eyes bulged wider than bells, and his mouth gaped as if he could fit a light bulb inside.
He pointed at the space behind Shin and stammered, his voice trembling.
"Sup... Supreme Kai! Behind you! L-look behind you!"
Kibito's strange reaction finally dragged Shin back from the brink of despair.
He raised his head and looked at Kibito, whose face was full of shock. His eyes still wet with tears, he asked blankly,
"What is it, Kibito? Behind me... Isn't Whis...?"
As he spoke, he instinctively turned around.
On the grass some distance behind him stood an old man who had somehow appeared there, dressed in Supreme Kai robes and wearing unusual earrings!
With his hands clasped behind his back, the old man surveyed everyone present, his stern expression tinged with curiosity.
"Ahem!"
When he saw that Shin had finally noticed him, he deliberately cleared his throat and began introducing himself in an old-fashioned voice.
"I am the Supreme Kai from fifteen generations ago. You youngsters may call me the Old Supreme Kai or Ancestor."
His gaze first fell on Vitelli, who was still smiling at Shin.
"Boy, thank you. You used a... well, rather unusual method to break the bothersome seal on that sword and release me."
Clearly, he had witnessed everything that had just happened.
Then his gaze shifted to Whis, who was still eating snacks nearby.
A hint of surprise and respect immediately appeared on his face.
He promptly bowed toward Whis.
"Well, well! Isn't that Mr. Whis? My apologies! I never expected you to grace the Supreme Kai Realm with your presence. Is Lord Beerus..."
As he spoke, he looked around, apparently searching for the God of Destruction who was almost always by Whis's side.
Whis swallowed his snack with graceful ease and replied with a smile,
"Oh, ho, ho, you're too kind, Supreme Kai. Lord Beerus is still resting in the God of Destruction Realm. Is there something important you'd like to speak to him about? If so, I can pass the message along."
The Old Supreme Kai paused, a flicker of relief crossing his face.
He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, Looks like I won't have to face that ill-tempered God of Destruction the moment I get out.
Then he asked in confusion,
"Well... there's nothing urgent. Then, Mr. Whis, may I ask what brings you here today...?"
He didn't think Whis had come all this way just to celebrate his release.
Whis gracefully gestured toward Vitelli as he introduced him.
"This is Vitelli-san, the new Apprentice God of Destruction of Universe 7. For now, I'm accompanying and assisting him."
"Oh? An Apprentice God of Destruction?"
The Old Supreme Kai looked surprised. He turned and examined Vitelli more carefully from head to toe.
His gaze seemed to have some kind of penetrating quality, making Vitelli feel slightly uncomfortable.
After a moment, he nodded slowly, his face showing admiration.
"Hmm... excellent, excellent! A solid foundation, a refined aura, and an extraordinary transformation in the very level of your life force... Even more remarkable is—" He suddenly drew a sharp breath, a glint flashing in his eyes. "You've already touched the threshold of Ultra Instinct. And you're no novice. You've reached a fairly advanced state of Sign!"
"I never imagined it! Such an exceptional prodigy could emerge in our Universe 7!"
Finally recovering from his shock, Shin scrambled over to the Old Supreme Kai and spoke incoherently.
"An... Ancestor! You really... really came out of the sword! When Vitelli-san told me, I actually suspected he was lying to me... I... I'm awful!"
His face filled with regret and self-reproach. Remembering that he had doubted Vitelli's motives, he was instantly overcome with shame.
The Old Supreme Kai looked at his descendant, the Supreme Kai, and shook his head in disappointment.
After sighing, he scolded him.
"You youngsters! I was sealed inside that wretched sword for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, all the while hoping that a sufficiently capable Supreme Kai would discover the secret of the sword and undo the seal! I waited all this time, only to find that each generation is worse than the last! Your generation has nearly brought the entire line of Supreme Kais to extinction, and an outsider had to discover and solve the problem!"
"Fortunately, this God of Destruction lad showed up. If he hadn't, and some major trouble arose in the universe a little later, things would have been truly difficult for our Universe 7!"
Having finished, he looked at Vitelli again and bowed to him solemnly.
"Regardless, I truly thank you, young God of Destruction. I'll remember this debt."
Vitelli waved a hand to show that he needn't be so formal.
"It was nothing, Old Supreme Kai. Don't worry about it. Actually, besides honoring my promise to Shin, I also came to the Supreme Kai Realm to ask you for something."
"Oh? Go on."
The Old Supreme Kai agreed readily.
"I heard you have a special ability that can draw out the dormant potential inside a person's body?"
Vitelli got straight to the point.
"I'd like you to help unlock the hidden potential in my body and bring it out completely."
Hearing Vitelli's request, the Old Supreme Kai shook his head without hesitation, his face showing some regret.
He explained,
"Normally, as my great benefactor, you're the last person I should refuse. But..."
He pointed at Vitelli as he changed tack.
"You've already embarked on the path of Ultra Instinct. And you haven't merely dabbled in it—you've become well versed in it and reached the perfected Sign stage, just a tiny step away from perfect Ultra Instinct."
He held two fingers close together in a gesture that would have enraged people from a certain neighboring country, then continued,
"Do you know that Ultra Instinct itself is the deepest possible excavation and release of one's potential?"
The Old Supreme Kai looked at Vitelli and spoke with certainty.
"Every time you enter the Ultra Instinct state, every time you follow your body's instincts in battle and learn from them, your potential is continuously awakened and converted into actual power. Haven't you noticed that ever since you began training in Ultra Instinct, your strength has grown much faster than it did when you were just exercising?"
Vitelli fell deep into thought.
He carefully recalled his training over this period and realized that... it really was true!
He had thought it was because of his extraordinary talent, or perhaps a benefit of becoming an Apprentice God of Destruction. He hadn't realized this was the real reason!
Ultra Instinct itself was a tremendous potential-unlocking tool!
"I see..."
Vitelli nodded in sudden realization. "I guess I was being greedy."
However, the Old Supreme Kai spoke up again, stopping him.
"Wait, Vitelli, don't be in such a hurry."
Vitelli looked at him in confusion.
The Old Supreme Kai stroked his long beard, a mysterious smile appearing on his face.
"Although I can't use that ritual to unlock your potential, I might be able to offer you a little help in understanding the realm of Ultra Instinct."
"Oh?" Vitelli was genuinely surprised this time.
"You can even give guidance on Ultra Instinct?"
This old fellow really was something. No wonder he had survived being sealed inside that sword for so long.
"Heh heh, I know a little, I know a little."
The Old Supreme Kai sounded modest, but his eyes gleamed with confidence,