Zhi Zun Bao? Sun Wukong?

He felt it—

There was an aura on Zhi Zun Bao that he was very familiar with.

It was not the ki of a Saiyan, but rather... an aura similar to that of his father, Sun Wukong.

It was that kind of dauntless spirit, the kind that would grin even in the face of the most powerful enemy.

Dhritarashtra watched all of this coldly.

"A bunch of ants."

He raised the Jade Pipa once more.

This time—he held nothing back.

He plucked all five strings at once!

Hum—!!!

A sonic wave ten times more powerful than the last rolled toward the three of them like a tsunami!

Fairy Zixia's expression changed drastically. She turned and shielded Goten and Zhi Zun Bao, holding the Violet-Azure Treasure Sword horizontally across her chest—

Boom!

The sonic wave slammed into the Violet-Azure Treasure Sword. Fairy Zixia was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground and spitting out blood.

"Sister Zixia!" Goten shouted.

"Fairy Zixia!" Zhi Zun Bao rushed over as well.

Dhritarashtra raised his hand coldly.

"Leave none alive."

The Heavenly Soldiers raised their spears—

Just then—

A drop of blood fell from Goten's injured arm and landed on the back of Zhi Zun Bao's hand.

Zhi Zun Bao froze.

That drop of blood—seeped into his skin.

It vanished.

Immediately after—a glimmer of gold ignited deep within his pupils.

It was not a reflected golden light—but a gold that emerged from the depths of his pupils—

In that instant, countless images flashed through Zhi Zun Bao's mind—

The South Heaven Gate, the Flat Peach Garden, the Alchemy Furnace, the Five Finger Mountain, the Golden Cudgel—

And a figure with its back turned to him.

The figure slowly turned around.

A golden monkey face.

Sun Wukong.

"You... have finally come." The figure spoke.

"No—" Zhi Zun Bao murmured, "Is... is it you calling me?"

"Old Sun has been waiting for you."

"Waiting for me to do what?"

Sun Wukong smiled—

"Waiting for you—to become Old Sun."

Boom!

Zhi Zun Bao's consciousness exploded!

He jerked his head up—the gold in his pupils had spread to cover his entire eyes!

He did not know what he was doing—

But he spoke.

His voice was hoarse, deep, and carried a weight that spanned five hundred years—

"Old Sun..."

He looked down at his own hands.

"...has been waiting for you for a long time."

Goten's eyes widened.

That voice—it was exactly the same as the one in the Moonlight Box!

"Zhi Zun Bao" stood there, but his presence had completely changed.

His posture had changed—no longer that of a slouching bandit, he stood with his spine straight, like a needle pinning the ocean floor.

His gaze had changed—no longer cynical, it was as profound as if he had seen through five hundred years of time.

He looked down at his hands, then slowly clenched them into fists.

"This body... is too weak."

He raised his hand and made a gripping motion toward the sky.

A strange thing happened.

In the distance, Five Finger Mountain—the divine mountain that had suppressed Sun Wukong for five hundred years—trembled slightly.

Vaishravana's Primordial Pearl Umbrella suddenly began to shake violently!

"What is this—" Vaishravana's expression changed drastically; his precious umbrella was actually shrinking uncontrollably!

Zixia clutched her chest, looking at Zhi Zun Bao in disbelief.

"You... are you—"

Zhi Zun Bao—or rather, the entity temporarily occupying his body—turned his head to look at Zixia.

A complex look flashed in his eyes.

"Zixia."

His voice had become much softer.

"It has been five hundred years."

Tears welled up in Zixia's eyes and spilled over.

She recognized this voice.

"It really is you..."

Goten looked at Zhi Zun Bao, then at Zixia, completely unable to make sense of the situation.

"Um... can someone explain—"

"There is no time to explain." Zhi Zun Bao—or rather, Sun Wukong—interrupted him.

He looked up at the sky.

On the horizon, an even more powerful golden light was approaching.

The Jade Emperor's imperial carriage was on its way.

Sun Wukong, controlling Zhi Zun Bao's body, turned to look at Goten and flashed a smile—a smile identical to the one in the Moonlight Box.

"Kid."

"Your suppressed power will be fully restored on the night of the full moon."

Goten was stunned.

"How did you know—"

"Because—"

Sun Wukong pointed toward the sky.

"That moon—is not the moon of your Dragon Ball World. But its effect is the same."

Goten looked up abruptly.

In the sky, a full moon was slowly rising.

It was not the fifteenth.

But the Moonlight Box was glowing.

Sun Wukong smiled.

"Go. Let the Heavenly Court see—"

His gaze turned sharp.

"—the true power of a Saiyan."

Having said that, his body went limp and he collapsed.

Zhi Zun Bao—had returned to being Zhi Zun Bao.

He rubbed his head as he stood up. "Why was I lying on the ground... what just happened..."

Goten did not answer.

He looked up at the full moon, feeling the power boiling within him—

The suppression was weakening.

The Moonlight Box was resonating.

His Saiyan bloodline—was roaring.

Goten clenched his fists, and a golden aura surged into the sky—

This time—

It was brighter than ever before.