Kaioshin: Just How Strong Is That Thing You Mentioned?

Chen Mo sat on the surface of the sea, seawater soaking him to the waist.

One of his ribs was broken. His left arm was still numb.

Blood from the corner of his mouth mingled with the saltwater, salty and fishy.

Android 18 sat across from him.

Her legs were drawn up, her knees rising above the water.

Her jeans were drenched, clinging to her thighs and outlining the smooth, taut lines of her muscles.

The denim jacket with one burnt corner hung casually from her shoulders. Her black striped tank top had turned semi-transparent from the water, clinging to her waist and abdomen.

Her waist was slim. Not the kind of thinness born from being underweight, but the perfect proportions created by the Eternal Furnace's modifications.

In the last lingering light of the sunset, the curves of her waist formed two shallow dimples.

She was looking at him.

Her pale blue eyes showed no unnecessary fluctuation.

Like a precision instrument that had completed calibration and entered standby mode.

"Cell has gotten stronger."

Android 18 suddenly spoke.

Chen Mo paused. "What?"

"While I was fighting Broly, Cell took the opportunity to absorb the populations of at least three cities." Android 18 brushed her wet short golden hair back, revealing her entire face. Her jawline was sharp, droplets of water hanging from her collarbones. "Android 17 is chasing him outside, but Cell is absorbing people faster than Android 17 can kill him."

"How do you know?"

"Android 17 sent a signal." Android 18 raised her wrist. A faint pulse of light flickered beneath her skin. An internal communications module. "Cell's battle power has already exceeded three hundred million. If he keeps absorbing people, he'll soon approach the level of his Perfect Form."

Three hundred million.

Chen Mo clenched his teeth.

"I need to go back to Dr. Gero's laboratory." Android 18 stood up. Seawater slid down her body, her drenched tank top tightly wrapping her upper body.

Her proportions stood out clearly against the backlight, so perfect they hardly seemed real.

Her shoulders were narrow, the striped tank top outlining the curve of her chest before narrowing into a slim waist, then descending to the hips wrapped in jeans.

When she turned around, Chen Mo's gaze inevitably swept over her back.

The groove along her spine ran from the hem of her tank top to below her waistline. The waistband of her jeans hung loosely on her hips, drawing symmetrical curves on both sides.

Chen Mo looked away.

"The laboratory? Didn't you blow it up?"

"The main facility was destroyed. The database on the third underground level is still intact." Android 18 did not turn around. "That old bastard Dr. Gero left a contingency when he designed Cell. There's a complete cellular structure analysis report. I need that data to confirm Cell's absorption limit."

"And?"

"My Eternal Furnace overloaded once while I was fighting Broly." Android 18's voice remained calm. "It repaired itself automatically, but its efficiency dropped by 0.3%. I need to use the laboratory's maintenance terminal for a deep calibration."

0.3%.

For the Eternal Furnace, a 0.3% drop in efficiency could mean a fraction-of-a-second gap in output during an all-out battle.

For humans, a fraction of a second meant nothing.

For battles at the level of androids, a fraction of a second was enough to die three times.

"How long will it take?" Chen Mo asked.

"Three days." Android 18 turned around. "During those three days, go take care of Cell."

Chen Mo's expression froze.

"What did you say?"

"Cell." Android 18 tilted her head slightly. "Go kill him."

"I can't beat him," Chen Mo said. He said it with complete frankness, without the slightest hesitation.

"So?"

"So if I go looking for him, it won't be a hunt. It'll be suicide."

Android 18 looked at him.

She was silent for several seconds.

Then she walked over.

With every step she took, the pressure beneath her feet pushed the seawater aside.

By the time she reached Chen Mo, the stretch of sea before him had become a patch of dry sand.

She crouched down.

Her fingers pinched Chen Mo's chin and lifted his face.

"Listen carefully."

Android 18's voice was very soft.

"Cell's targets are Android 17 and me. He needs to absorb both of us to evolve into his Perfect Form. Android 17 is holding him off out there alone. If Cell suddenly comes back to Earth to find me during the three days I'm gone to the laboratory..."

Her thumb slowly slid across Chen Mo's chin.

"Do you think you can hide?"

Chen Mo said nothing.

"So you're not going to your death." Android 18 let go and stood up. "You're buying time. Find Cell. Keep him occupied. Harass him. Make it impossible for him to focus on absorbing anyone. In three days, once I've finished the repairs, I'll come find you."

"What if he beats me to death within those three days?"

Android 18 looked down at him.

The sun had completely sunk below the horizon. Only the last streak of orange-red remained at the edge of the sky.

Her face softened somewhat in the twilight, but the light in her eyes did not change.

"Then you'd better run fast enough."

After saying that, she turned and flew away.

She did not look back. She did not say anything more.

The pressure of her flight threw up two white walls of water across the sea.

Chen Mo stood where he was, watching Android 18's figure vanish into the northern twilight.

He looked down at himself.

He was soaked through. His left arm was bruised purple. One of his ribs was broken, and blood was still seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Sixty-six million against three hundred million.

The gap was nearly fivefold.

A pursuit?

You called this a pursuit?

"This is food delivery," Chen Mo muttered to himself. "The kind where I package myself up and deliver myself right to his door."

But he did not hesitate for long.

Android 18 was right. Cell's targets were Android 18 and Android 17. If Cell returned to Earth within these three days, he, Bulma, Trunks, and everyone in the concentration camp would all become hostages.

Rather than wait for Cell to come knocking, he might as well go out and draw his aggro himself.

Chen Mo took a deep breath.

Pain stabbed through his ribs, but he endured it.

Thirty-Threefold Kaio-ken. No burden. No damage to his body.

This was his only trump card.

As long as he was not killed in a single blow, he could keep running, keep dragging things out, keep buying time.

Chen Mo took the Scouter from his clothes.

On its screen, Android 17's signal flickered at the edge of the galaxy. Beside it was an energy source that was constantly expanding.

Cell.

About two days' flight from Earth.

Chen Mo put away the Scouter, pulled out a Fruit of the Tree of Might from his pocket, and took a bite.

Energy flooded into his body. His broken rib fused back together within three seconds. The numbness in his left arm faded, and the life force of the fruit rapidly washed through him, healing the injuries across his body.

He did not eat the whole fruit.

After taking one bite, he put it back into his pocket.

Then he flew into the air.

Ki covered his body, forming a thin protective barrier.

Android 18 had taught him this aboard the spaceship.

A technique for surviving in a vacuum.

Chen Mo flew out of the atmosphere.

Earth shrank behind him, becoming a blue marble. Then it became a speck of light. Then it vanished into the sea of stars.

Space was quiet.

There was no wind, no sound—only the faint, low-frequency hum produced as the edge of his barrier rubbed against trace particles.

Following the Scouter's direction, Chen Mo flew at full speed.

Thirty-Threefold Kaio-ken remained active. Deep crimson ki flames burned in the vacuum. With no air resistance, he was nearly three times faster than he had been within the atmosphere.

After flying for four hours.

Chen Mo passed a gray dwarf planet.

He flew for another two hours.

He passed through an asteroid belt. Debris slowly spun under the pull of gravity.

He flew for another three hours.

The Scouter suddenly beeped.

It wasn't Cell's signal.

It was another one.

An extremely weak energy source, but it was moving rapidly.

Its power level was around two million.

It was fleeing at an extremely high speed.

Another energy source was following behind it.

This energy source's power level...

Chen Mo glanced at the number.

It was absurdly low.

Less than a thousand.

Yet the texture of that energy was strange. Clean. Pure. Like distilled water filtered countless times.

It bore a certain resemblance to the divine ki Master Roshi had sensed at Kami's Lookout.

But it was more condensed. More ancient.

A purple streak of light flashed through the void ahead.

A white light followed close behind.

The purple streak made a sharp turn three hundred kilometers in front of Chen Mo, circling around an asteroid.

The white light did not turn. It passed straight through the asteroid.

Chen Mo slowed down.

He came to a stop on the surface of an asteroid roughly five hundred meters in diameter.

Tenfold King Kai Fist. Suppressed to its lowest level. His aura concealed.

He saw clearly now.

Inside the purple streak was a small creature. It had a sharp point on its head, sallow yellow skin, and wore a black robe. It clutched a staff in its hand.

Babidi.

Chen Mo recognized him.

During his last voyage through space, this guy had tried to enslave him and Android 18 with mind control, only to be sent flying by a single slap from Android 18.

He hadn't expected him to still be alive after all this time.

But Babidi was clearly in worse condition than before.

His robe was tattered. His staff was cracked. His face held nothing but terror and hysteria.

That white light chasing after him...

Chen Mo aimed the Scouter in that direction.

The data refreshed twice.

The first line displayed the power level. Less than one thousand.

The second line displayed the energy type.

Unknown.

The Scouter could not analyze it.

The white light slowed down.

A figure stepped out of the radiance.

He was not tall, with purple skin, a white mohawk, Potara earrings hanging from his ears, and a fitted divine official's outfit.

His face was youthful, but the look in his eyes was older than anyone Chen Mo had ever seen.

A Supreme Kai.

The East Supreme Kai. Shin.

One of the highest-ranking deities in the entire Seventh Universe.

Another person stood behind him. He had pink skin, a large build, and wore formal attire resembling that of a butler. His expression was stern.

Kibito. The Supreme Kai's attendant.

"You can't escape, Babidi!" Kibito's voice traveled through the vacuum by telepathy. "Hand over your father's grimoire!"

Babidi let out a shrill scream.

"Get lost! Get lost! You sanctimonious trash! Why should my father's legacy be handed over to you?!"

As Babidi fled, he flung purple blasts of demonic energy behind him.

Kibito waved them aside.

Supreme Kai did not make a move. He merely followed at an unhurried pace.

Like a cat toying with a mouse.

Chen Mo took a deep breath.

Then he rose to his feet.

Thirty-Threefold Kaio-ken. Activate.

A deep crimson aura erupted across the asteroid's surface, sending shattered rocks flying.

All three turned their heads at once.

The instant Babidi saw Chen Mo, the fear on his face turned into something even deeper.

"It's you!!"

Babidi recognized him.

Before Android 18 had slapped him flying from the ship last time, Babidi had been deeply impressed by Chen Mo's immunity to mind control.

"You monster again! Where's that blonde she-devil?! Where is she?!"

Chen Mo ignored him.

His gaze fell on Supreme Kai.

Supreme Kai was looking at him too.

Obvious confusion surfaced in his purple eyes.

"You are..." Supreme Kai's voice reached him through telepathy. "An Earthling?"

"Yes," Chen Mo answered.

"Your battle power..." Supreme Kai frowned slightly as he sensed Chen Mo's energy. "Sixty-six million? An Earthling?"

"Kaio-ken," Chen Mo said. "I learned it indirectly from North King Kai."

"North King Kai?" Supreme Kai's expression shifted. "You're connected to North King Kai?"

"Not directly. But I know he's watching from another dimension." Chen Mo flew over and landed fifty meters in front of Supreme Kai. "Lord Supreme Kai, my name is Chen Mo. I'm an Earthling. There's something I must tell you."

Supreme Kai said nothing. Kibito stepped in front of him.

"How presumptuous. Mortals may not look directly upon Lord Supreme Kai."

"Kibito." Supreme Kai raised a hand. "Let him speak."

Kibito reluctantly stepped aside.

Chen Mo pointed in the direction Babidi had fled.

"You're pursuing him because of his father Bibidi's legacy, right?"

Supreme Kai's pupils contracted.

"You know Bibidi?"

"I know far more than you think," Chen Mo said. "Bibidi, the cosmic sorcerer, created a monster millions of years ago. A pure engine of destruction condensed from magic and chaotic energy."

Supreme Kai's expression stiffened in an instant.

Kibito had already raised his hand, energy gathering in his palm.

"Who exactly are you?" Kibito lowered his voice. "No mortal could possibly know about this."

"Let me finish." Chen Mo did not retreat. "That monster's name was Buu. Majin Buu. Millions of years ago, Bibidi used him to destroy countless planets and kill four Supreme Kais. In the end, you sealed him away—but you didn't kill him."

Supreme Kai's breathing changed.

He had no need to breathe, yet his energy fluctuations became clearly disordered.

"Buu is sealed inside a sphere," Chen Mo continued. "That sphere lies deep within Earth's crust."

Silence.

A long silence.

Even Kibito forgot to lower his raised hand.

Supreme Kai's lips moved slightly.

"How do you know all this?"

"That isn't important," Chen Mo said. "What matters is that Babidi is gathering enough energy to break the seal. He needs vast amounts of negative emotion and pure combat energy to activate the magic array his father left behind. Do you think he's merely running away?"

Chen Mo pointed toward the direction Babidi had vanished.

"He's looking for muscle. Warriors strong enough to enslave with mind control, then use their battle energy as fuel to unseal Buu."

Supreme Kai's expression changed.

It was not an ordinary change in color.

"Buu... if he is released..." The Supreme Kai's voice was much lower than before. "Back when he was still in a state where good and evil were mixed, he had already killed the South Supreme Kai and the West Supreme Kai."

"If he is awakened again by Bibidi's son... given the current distribution of power in Universe 7..."

He did not continue.

But Chen Mo knew the answer.

No one in the current Universe 7 could defeat Buu.

Goku was dead. Gohan was dead. Vegeta was dead.

Trunks had only just reached the threshold of Super Saiyan.

Even Android 17 and Android 18 together would not be enough.

Broly, the only one who might be able to contend with Buu, was a mentally unstable ticking time bomb.

"So you can't let Babidi get away," Chen Mo said. "And you definitely can't let him come into contact with any high-power lifeforms."

The Supreme Kai looked at Chen Mo.

Those purple eyes shifted from confusion to scrutiny, then from scrutiny to a complicated emotion.

"You... are you really just an Earthling?"

"The kind that starts with a battle power of five," Chen Mo said.

The Supreme Kai fell silent for several seconds.

"Kibito."

"Here."

"Babidi's direction."

"He fled toward the northwestern sector of the starfield. His speed is slowing. His magic power is nearly exhausted."

The Supreme Kai nodded. Then he looked at Chen Mo again.

"Chen Mo. You said just now that Buu's sealed sphere is on Earth?"

"Yes."

"Are you certain?"

"One hundred percent."

The Supreme Kai closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, his expression had returned to calmness. But Chen Mo saw the hand he was clenching.

His knuckles were trembling.

Faintly. Continuously.

A god who had lived for tens of millions of years was trembling.

The weight carried by the name Buu was far greater than what Chen Mo had seen in the anime.

"I need you to tell me everything you know," the Supreme Kai said. "About Babidi. About Buu. About what is happening on Earth. All of it."

Chen Mo glanced at the detector.

Cell's signal was still at the edge of the Milky Way, entangled with Android 17.

Android 18 was in a laboratory north of Earth.

Three days.

Android 18 had given him three days.

"Fine," Chen Mo said. "But I have one condition."

The Supreme Kai raised an eyebrow.

"I currently have an enemy I must deal with. His name is Cell. His battle power is over three hundred million, and he is evolving by absorbing living beings. If he is not stopped soon, he will become a Perfect Form with a battle power exceeding one billion."

Chen Mo looked at the Supreme Kai.

"Lord Supreme Kai, I'll help you deal with the intelligence on Babidi and Buu. In return, help me with something."

"What is it?"

"I need to go to the Supreme Kai's World to train."

Kibito's expression changed instantly. "Preposterous! Mortals may not enter."

"Kibito." The Supreme Kai raised a hand again.

Kibito shut his mouth.

The Supreme Kai looked at Chen Mo for a long time.

"You know far too much," the Supreme Kai said softly. "Enough to make me uneasy."

"But you need me," Chen Mo said. "Because you've been chasing Babidi for who knows how long, yet you don't even know the location of the sealed sphere. I do."

The Supreme Kai did not answer immediately.

In the distant starry sky, Babidi's purple speck of light was gradually fading away.

The Supreme Kai turned around.

"Capture Babidi first," he said. "Then we'll talk."

He stepped forward, and his figure vanished from where he stood.

Kibito shot Chen Mo a vicious glare before following after him.

Chen Mo stood on the asteroid's surface. Deep crimson aura flames burned soundlessly in the vacuum.