Karin Tower

Time passed. It had been eleven months since Kast had left Planet Vegeta, and if nothing went wrong, he would reach Earth in a few days.

"Beep. Hibernation system disengaged. Initiating wake-up mode."

"Are we there?" As hibernation ended, Kast slowly regained consciousness.

When he opened his eyes, he immediately saw a red star floating in the distance through the monitor ahead.

"This must be the sun." He reached out and zoomed in on the planetary map, locating a blue planet.

"This is Earth, right? I hope it doesn't disappoint me!"

Earth

A strange building floated in midair, its base curved. There was a martial arts arena above, with a cluster of buildings farther back.

This was the place where the Guardian of Earth lived: the Lookout.

Just then, an elderly man with a wrinkled face, green skin, and two antennae on his head emerged from the Lookout, leaning on a cane.

The old man wore white robes and a blue cape. The "God" inscribed on his clothes made it clear that he was the master of the Lookout—the Guardian of Earth!

Following behind him was a man dressed all in black. He was the Guardian of Earth's servant, Mr. Popo.

"Hmm..."

The Guardian of Earth looked grave as he gazed at the sky, lost in thought.

"Has something happened, Guardian?"

Seeing his solemn expression, Mr. Popo asked with concern.

"Hmm. I can feel a heavy presence heading toward Earth."

The Guardian of Earth explained.

"Though this presence is being suppressed, the power behind it is far beyond what the people of Earth can withstand right now!"

"Such powerful energy? Could it be stronger than you, Guardian?" Mr. Popo asked, unable to believe it.

"Heh. Mr. Popo, remember that there's always someone stronger out there. I've simply lived a long time. Compared to this power, I'm nowhere near strong enough." The Guardian of Earth smiled.

"But..." Seeing Mr. Popo's bewildered expression, the Guardian of Earth reassured him, "I don't sense any evil from this power, so you don't need to worry too much."

With that, the Guardian of Earth turned and headed back into the Lookout. But in his heart, he thought:

If this person really does intend to destroy Earth, I'll stop him, even if it costs me my life.

The next day

A barren stretch of land lay beneath the sky. A dazzling red streak shot across it and slammed into the ground with a crash!

Dust billowed as a huge crater formed.

At the bottom of the crater sat a spherical spaceship.

Just then, with a hiss, the spaceship's hatch opened as its pressurized gas vented.

"Is this Earth?"

The moment the hatch opened, a childish voice came from within.

Soon, as the hatch swung fully open, the speaker came into view.

He looked like a child of about five or six, with long black hair standing halfway up on his head and bangs naturally parted on either side of his forehead. His features were delicate, and he looked likable at first glance.

Looking down, he wore white armor over a blue bodysuit. Most remarkable of all, a monkey-like tail grew from his waist.

That's right—he was Kast, a Saiyan who had traveled all the way from Planet Vegeta.

"I finally made it to Earth."

After nearly a whole year of travel, Kast was excited to have finally reached his destination.

He floated slowly into the air and looked around. The area was mostly barren land and mountains; this was the landing site Kast had deliberately chosen. It would let him keep things quiet, avoid causing a disturbance, and save himself some trouble.

"Now, first things first: Senzu Beans!" As he thought this, Kast activated the Scouter by his ear and began scanning.

"I'll have to learn to sense ki..." Kast glanced at the Scouter in the corner of his eye and thought to himself.

"Beep, beep." The Scouter picked up some targets.

"Oh, five targets. Three are together. Let's check out the one by itself first. Hmm, a power level of 120. If I remember right, that should be Master Roshi. Then the other one, with a power level of 110, must be Master Shen."

But Master Roshi and the others weren't his targets. Kast shifted his gaze to the three targets grouped together.

"170, 290, 300. Then I must be right: they should be the Guardian of Earth, Mr. Popo, and Korin. The only one on Earth who could reach that level of power is the Guardian of Earth, since he's a Namekian."

"They're 13,700 kilometers to the southeast. Not too far. All right, let's go!"

Having found his direction, Kast burst into a white aura. With a sharp crack through the air, he vanished into the distance.

"Hmm... So he's heading this way..."

A mountain range stretched for hundreds of kilometers. Beyond its towering peaks, eternally covered in snow and ice, lay a vast basin that sloped downward.

The basin spanned more than a hundred kilometers and was densely covered in trees. From afar, it looked like a green sea, its waves swaying in the wind.

This was the martial arts sanctuary of Karin. At its center stood a tall tower that reached straight into the clouds.

It was Karin Tower.

The tower rose straight up, a divine spire connecting to the Heavenly Realm.

Atop Karin Tower, in the shadow of a building, someone could be seen speaking quietly.

"Meow, this is a bit troublesome, meow."

As he stepped out of the shadows, the speaker came into view: a white-furred cat standing upright, one paw resting on a staff and the other behind his back. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the distance.

He was the master of this tower, Korin.

That's right, Korin wasn't human. He was a cat.

Although Korin was a cat, he was actually over 800 years old—older even than the Guardian of Earth. Unlike the Guardian of Earth, whose duties were different, Korin's main role was to guide and train the martial artists below.

In the distance, a figure sped toward Karin Tower.

Flying over the dense forest, Kast reached the skies above Korin's Sacred Land. He could already make out a towering tower rising into the heavens.

The tower's base stood on the horizon, while its upper reaches pierced the clouds, hidden behind white, drifting clouds.

"Is that Karin Tower?!"

Kast stared at it in amazement. He had no idea how tall Karin Tower was, but just seeing its shaft disappear into the clouds, like a pillar supporting the heavens and linking them to Earth, filled him with awe.

But despite his wonder, Kast didn't waste any time beneath the tower. As he neared Karin Tower, he abruptly changed direction, shooting straight up into the sky at a ninety-degree angle and speeding toward the top.