Jiang Che's face remained expressionless. He shook his head, the corners of his mouth lifting in a hint of mockery. "Sorry, I'm not interested."
His voice was calm, cold as winter ice. "Besides, do you think I'd believe anything a parasite says? Your eyes are full of lies and a hunger for power."
"No! I'm serious!" Baby cried in a panic, his words coming faster and faster, as if he were about to disappear. "Let me go! I can tell you about Zeno! Zeno! You know who Zeno is, right? The greatest god in the universe! I know his secret hideout, and about the fragments of his power—"
He hadn't even finished when, perhaps from getting too worked up, he began coughing violently. Blood welled from the corner of his mouth and dripped onto the ground.
Jiang Che's movements faltered for a moment.
Zeno.
Of course he knew that name.
Zeno stood at the very top of the entire universe. With a single word, he could destroy everything. No one else could compare to him.
But so what?
Seeing Jiang Che hesitate, Baby desperately crawled forward, dragging two bloody streaks across the ground with his hands. He almost reached Jiang Che's feet. "I know where Zeno is! And I know other secrets about the universe! I've gathered loads of information! Let me go, and I'll tell you everything! Please! Please—"
"That's enough." Jiang Che cut him off, his tone mild but final, leaving no room for defiance. "I'm not interested in your secrets. Zeno or the other powerhouses in the universe—it makes no difference to me."
The Ki Blast in his hand suddenly swelled, growing from the size of a fist to a meter across.
The sphere of energy flashed with a vicious crimson light, like a small sun hovering in his palm. Its buzzing grew higher and sharper.
The air warped under the intense heat, even catching fire as rings of flame rippled outward.
The rubble melted into magma, hissing as it flowed across the ground.
Jiang Che's voice was icy, each word like an icicle stabbing into Baby's heart. "I only know one thing—"
He paused, his eyes like blades as he stared at Baby's twisted face. "A parasite like you doesn't deserve to live in this world."
"No—!" Baby cried out in despair, his voice ripping through the air.
He tried to flee, kicking frantically among the rubble as his whole body trembled with fear.
The shadow of death was already reflected in his eyes. The red Ki Blast loomed larger and larger in his vision, so bright it seemed ready to swallow everything.
Baby began babbling incoherently, groaning, cursing, and begging for mercy, until it all dissolved into broken sobs.
Jiang Che simply pushed his hand forward. The Ki Blast shot away, trailing a dazzling red streak like a meteor bent on destroying everything, and slammed into Baby's back.
The wind roared. Baby's furious cry was torn apart, and the battlefield split open with a thunderous crack, sending rubble flying like rain.
Jiang Che spread his hands. The crimson Ki Blast in his palms seemed alive, arcs of light dancing across its surface as every vein of energy scraped through the air with a faint roar.
His eyes held nothing but indifference, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he floated in midair, his black hair whipping in the gale.
"You had a road to heaven, but you refused to take it. You broke into hell when there was no door. Now it's time to send you on your way."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Che flicked his wrist and shoved with all five fingers. The crimson Ki Blast instantly swelled several times larger, shooting forward like a burning star and dragging a wave of heat in its wake.
The air compressed to its limit, then burst with a deafening crack. Dust blasted from the ground, carving a straight trench as dirt flew toward Baby.
Fear filled the eyes of the Great Ape Baby. His massive body struggled to dodge, but the Ki Blast moved far beyond what he could react to. He hadn't even raised his arms all the way before the red light struck him square in the chest.
"Boom—!"
The explosion swept across the battlefield like a thunderclap. The ground shook violently for miles, as if the earth itself were crying out.
Blinding white light burst from the explosion, nearly impossible to look at. Then a crimson tide surged over everything, swallowing it all.
Baby's scream was torn to shreds in the red light. "No! I won't accept this! I won't—!"
His cry grew weaker and weaker, as if sinking into the deep sea, until it fell silent.
The aftershock of the red light slowly spread, sweeping away every trace of the blast and leaving only dead silence.
The light gradually faded, like a curtain falling on the stage.
A vast crater, dozens of meters wide, had appeared in the ground. Its walls were smooth, dusted with faint red embers, like a scar left by a burn across the earth.
The Great Ape Baby's massive body, his hideous face, and the Tuffle consciousness he had devoured had all vanished into nothingness. Not even a fragment remained.
Wind swept over the crater, stirring the sand with a soft hiss, as if whispering of the battle's end.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the mission to kill Great Ape Baby! ]
The system's voice rang in Jiang Che's mind with a bright, metallic clarity, tinged with pride.
[ You have received 50,000 exchange points! ]
After a short pause, the notification suddenly pitched higher, almost giddy with excitement:
[ Special notice: As this is the host's first completed mission, the reward is doubled! You have received a total of 100,000 exchange points! ]
The numbers flashed through Jiang Che's mind like fireworks.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, his smile deepening.
He nodded gently and lowered his hands. The air currents around him gradually settled.
The golden aura of his transformed state slowly receded. His long hair faded from blazing gold back to deep black, settling over his shoulders.
His muscles and breathing gradually returned to normal, and he became an unremarkable young man once more.
In the distance, Gohan stood frozen in place, his face ashen and lips trembling uncontrollably, as if words were stuck in his throat.
The consciousness Baby had left inside him had been purged, but the memories of being controlled—the despair of having his soul torn apart and his body taken over—still coiled in his mind like a venomous snake, slowly gnawing away at his composure.
He stared at Jiang Che, his eyes full of awe and confusion.
"Jiang Che... you..." Gohan finally spoke, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper scraping stone, every word trembling. "Just how strong are you?"
Jiang Che slowly turned around, his gaze settling like water on Gohan's pale face.
He smiled faintly, so subtly it was almost imperceptible, but the meaning behind it was unfathomable. "What do you think?"
With that, he bent his knees slightly and tapped the ground with his toes. His whole body turned into a streak of light, tearing through the sky and shooting toward the clouds.
The light cut through the clouds, leaving a straight white line across the sky, as if it had cleaved the heavens open. The line lingered for a long time without closing.
Gohan was left standing where he was, gazing up as the streak of light gradually disappeared. His lips moved, but no sound came out. Only the wind stirred his tattered clothes, making them snap and rustle.
Supreme Kai World.
Dim nebulae drifted along the edge of the sky. A temple towered into the heavens, and the ground was paved with gleaming crystals that reflected the distant starlight.
Old Supreme Kai sat in the center of the temple, slowly moving his withered fingers away from the crystal ball. The images within gradually blurred until only the fading trace of Jiang Che's departing streak of light remained.
His face was grave, deep wrinkles etched across it, but his eyes were razor-sharp.
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