The Chapter Ends, a New One Awaits

"I'm not willing to accept this! I really can't accept it!"

Baby's voice echoed in the wind, full of resentment and fear.

No matter how hard he struggled, it was useless. Jiang Che's God Ki gave him no chance to fight back.

The crimson energy wrapped around the black mist like chains, tightening more and more until it forcibly tore Baby's soul from Vegeta's body.

At last, the black mist was completely stripped away, becoming a writhing, pitch-black ball of shadow.

It floated in midair, looking like a filthy dark star.

Jiang Che's expression didn't change. He raised a hand and aimed at the mass of black mist.

A thin crimson beam burst from his fingertip, swift and fierce, like a sharp arrow piercing the darkness.

"Whoosh—!"

The crimson beam pierced the black mist. The shadow immediately shuddered violently, a brief shriek rang out from within, and then it exploded with a roar, turning into countless tiny specks of light that vanished into the wind in an instant, leaving nothing behind.

[ Ding! Mission complete: Kill Great Ape Baby. Reward: 50,000 Exchange Points received.]

The system notification sounded in his mind. Jiang Che's lips curled into a satisfied smile, and his eyes brightened.

Behind him, Vegeta lay sprawled on the ground, limbs outstretched as he gasped for breath, his chest heaving as if it might burst.

Sweat and blood mingled, soaking the ground.

His fingers trembled incessantly. He was so weak he couldn't even lift his head.

"Kid..."

Vegeta struggled to speak, his voice hoarse, as if the words were scraping their way out of his throat. "You... who are you..."

"What do you mean, 'who are you'?"

Jiang Che glanced back at him, his tone mildly teasing. "Take a look at yourself first. You're a complete disgrace like this."

He looked Vegeta up and down and shook his head. "The Saiyan Prince, reduced to this?"

Vegeta ground his teeth in fury. He couldn't even get to his feet, and could only glare at Jiang Che's back, his eyes filled with anger and unwillingness to accept defeat.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded in the distance.

Son Goku, Pan, and Mr. Satan came running down the hillside. Son Goku was in the lead, his clothes fluttering in the wind, his face full of worry.

When they saw Vegeta lying on the ground, safe and sound, they all breathed a sigh of relief and slowed their steps.

"Thank goodness, Vegeta! You're okay!"

Son Goku hurried over, crouched down, and excitedly patted Vegeta on the shoulder.

Vegeta snorted and managed to turn his head away. "Obviously. What could possibly happen to me?"

He sounded forceful, but his words clearly lacked conviction.

Mr. Satan wiped the sweat from his forehead and chuckled. "See? I told you there wouldn't be any serious trouble with me around!"

Pan stood to one side, looking at Jiang Che with keen interest, curiosity shining in her eyes.

"All right. Now that Baby's taken care of, I should get going."

Jiang Che stretched lazily and rolled his wrists, speaking casually.

A faint blue glow appeared around him as he prepared to teleport away.

Son Goku suddenly jumped up and shouted at him, "Hey! Kid! Wait! I still have something to ask you!"

Jiang Che stopped, and the blue glow dimmed.

He turned around, a playful smile appearing on his face as his gaze swept over Son Goku. "You want to ask me something? What?"

Son Goku opened his mouth, hesitated, then drew a deep breath and stared at Jiang Che seriously. "Who are you, exactly? Why did you help us?"

"Help you?"

Jiang Che gave a cold laugh, the corner of his mouth twitching with scorn.

"Don't flatter yourself. I was only here for the mission."

He glanced at everyone present, his gaze indifferent. "You're merely pawns in the story, and I'm the one moving them."

With that, he vanished in a flash. The air rippled, leaving behind only a faint blue glow.

The next moment, no one was there. The wind swept past, rustling the leaves.

Son Goku stood frozen, staring blankly at the empty space, his brows knitted. He didn't speak for a long time.

Pan tugged at Son Goku's clothes and whispered, "Grandpa, he's so cool."

Son Goku kept staring at the place where Jiang Che had disappeared, as if his overwhelming presence still lingered in the empty air.

His shoulders rose and fell with his heavy breaths. His fists clenched and then loosened, but he still hadn't recovered from the shock.

He murmured under his breath, his voice hoarse and bewildered. "A mission... Just who is that guy?"

The wind swept through the ruins, carrying dust that settled at his feet, but it couldn't calm the turmoil in his heart.

Just then, a deafening, rending crash suddenly erupted between heaven and earth, as if an unseen giant hand had torn open the sky.

The sky had been a clear blue, but now a jagged fissure split it open, its edges glowing gray-white as space itself seemed to shake violently.

Then a figure slowly stepped out of the crack. His robes fluttered, and a faint golden light surrounded him.

He was a man dressed in the clothes of a Supreme Kai, wearing a white robe embroidered with ancient symbols and a golden sash around his waist—Kibito Kai himself.

He walked through the air, each step as if upon invisible stairs, sending out ripples of transparent light beneath his feet.

Kibito Kai looked down at the battlefield. His gaze swept over the shattered ground, scattered rocks, and smoking trenches before he finally let out a long sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing.

He murmured, sounding somewhat relieved. "It seems everything is over."

His gaze fell on Son Goku in the distance, and complex emotions flickered in his eyes—both respect and doubt.

Son Goku looked up. His eyes widened abruptly, his pupils contracting in surprise.

He instinctively hurried forward a couple of steps, kicking a pebble away. It clattered sharply against the ground.

He called out, his voice tinged with surprise. "Supreme Kai! What brings you here?"

His right hand automatically scratched his head. He still looked as guileless as ever, but there was wariness in his eyes—if the Supreme Kai had come in person, it had to be something serious.

Kibito Kai landed, his feet firmly touching down on the cracked ground and raising a cloud of dust.

He straightened his robe. His expression was grave, and he fixed Son Goku with a knife-sharp stare as he asked in a low voice, "I sensed that God Ki just now... Son Goku, where is that young man?"

As he spoke, his gaze searched the area, as if he meant to pierce through space and find Jiang Che's shadow.

"He left."

Son Goku pointed toward the distant horizon, tracing an arc in the air with his hand. "Not long ago."

There was a hint of helplessness in his voice, and the corner of his mouth twitched—the guy had left without a word, not even leaving them a glimpse of his back.

"He left?"

Kibito Kai's brow immediately furrowed, deep wrinkles appearing on his forehead as anxiety flashed in his eyes.

"Old Supreme Kai wants to meet him..."

He instinctively clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white. He was clearly frustrated at having missed Jiang Che.

"Don't worry, Kibito Kai."

A voice suddenly rang out, calm yet impossible to disobey.

Jiang Che appeared beside them without warning, as if he had been there all along. Even the hem of his clothes hadn't stirred the wind.

He had both hands in his pockets, a faint smile on his lips, but his gaze was as sharp as an eagle's.

Kibito Kai sucked in a sharp breath and leaned backward, nearly slipping a step. His eyes were full of shock. "You... When did you..."

The words caught in his throat. Even Kibito Kai hadn't been able to sense this guy's spatial movement ability.