Simulation interrupted. Direct communication engaged.
A synopsis of the Refugee Saga is as follows:
A group of refugee Saiyans from a covert splinter colony destroyed by Frieza touched down on Earth. Vegeta and Bulma negotiated with King Furry to obtain diplomatic asylum. The settlement of New Sadala, eventually to host ten thousand Saiyan colonists, was created only a few miles from the Royal Park is patrolled by Android Seventeen.
Sigma Twelve, an artificial intelligence that manages the Capsule Corporation training room, has become an integral part of the Z fighters' team. Twelve is officially considered an employee of the Corporation, for better or for worse.
Goku and Vegeta are planning to take on Beerus to force him to return Broly and his friends, who the god abducted in order to force Broly to train. The multiverse currently considers Universe Seven to be in a state of open rebellion due to the mortals' refusal to accept the judgment of their god. With Twelve's help, Goku has managed to master the first sign of Ultra Instinct. But with Whis' help, so has Beerus…
Krillin's unlikely friendship with Tech, the Saiyan's leader, ends with a fusion. To sidestep death after a massive heart attack, Tech convinced Krillin to fuse with him using Potara earrings. The new being, bearing both the living and the dead, is known as Krion.
The Universe 6 Saiyans (Cabba, Kale, and Caulifla) begin to make their way to Universe Seven by using the most unexpected of allies: High Priest. On the way there, they begin to be ambushed by agents of the mysterious "Pretty Boy".
Frieza, about to be killed by Goku, was rescued by Beerus. The god was coming to the Emperor with a plan – the Planet Trade Organization's invasion of Earth…
A synopsis of the Rebellion Saga and Interludes is as follows:
The Planet Trade Organization's invasion of Earth was stopped by Kale and Broly forcing a cease fire on Frieza's remaining fleet. Over eighty thousand soldiers and crew died during the two day conflict. West City and Satan City both took minor damage, while New Sadala was completely destroyed and is being rebuilt. Every Saiyan refugee on Earth took part in the combat, and a fifth of them lost their lives as a result.
Every significant fighter on Earth, both human and Saiyan, took part in the defense of Earth. Other reinforcements included Broly, Kale, Caulifla, and a number of refugee volunteers.
Frieza was executed by Goku, but not before launching the invasion of Earth and personally torturing Cabba nearly to death. With his death, the PTO has splintered into warring factions.
The climactic battle between mortals and gods ended… with a less than dramatic outcome. Beerus easily defeated Goku, who was demoralized after executing Frieza. Vegeta managed to soundly defeat Champa, offering a concession only to halt the war. After the battle, Vegeta had a strange encounter with a divine artifact in the shape of a mirror.
In a post-invasion interview, Mr. Satan told the complete truth about the Z fighters and the defense of Earth. The repercussions of this are only starting to be known.
A corrupted version of Universe 15 has sprung to life, and is beginning to grow. Maizcal, the former God of Destruction of that universe, has been tapped by High Priest to lead a team that will handle the problem.
Direct communication disengaged. Simulation resumed.
Floating cross-legged in the middle of the void, Atua found himself face to face with an entire universe. As a Kai, he could feel the fundamental wrongness of it, the strange hunger that it seemed to radiate outward. It was possessed of an unmistakable thirst for godly ki. At two light-seconds away, its immensity filled up his entire vision and he could see the subtle growth at the borders. It's starting to grow in my direction, like a plant reaching out for the sun. Except not so benign. As the growth continued, Atua found himself scanning the solar systems and galaxies as they slowly came back into existence. I can actually identify some constellations now. A proper universe cannot have a true center. But this one? It does. The universe is growing around the red quadrant of that small-ish… wait, that's the prime galaxy, where myself and Maizcal based out of. I need to look closer.
He focused in, using his energy to query the rogue universe. As expected, it resisted and tried to find a tendril of power to grab onto. He felt its clumsy attempts and shook them off. Unless I'm dumb enough to touch it, regular Kai powers should be able to keep me safe. Finally, it acquiesced. His view zoomed in, past clouds of interstellar dust and millions of stars to a small star system. The single dark yellow sun sat surrounded by satellites, silently orbiting. Almost. I have to go just a little further. He poured extra energy into the effort, ignoring the universe's sudden increase in growth in his direction. His eyes flicked back and forth as he quickly inspected the planets, trying to ignore the blazing white energy of the universal border that was quickly approaching. There. Okay. Half a million inhabitants. Highly advanced. Terra-type world, highly suitable for life. The seat of an empire? What empire? He stared at the planet as ghostly light illuminated his face. At the last moment, he snapped out of it and began to fly backward quickly. Like a disappointed predator, the strange pseudopod of the nascent universe began to retract.
What is it about that planet? It's familiar to me. I think Maizcal mentioned something about it. Oh, that's right! It's his homeworld. And… the entire universe is re-growing around it. Dauntlessly, it continued to subtly expand. For a Kai, calculating the increase over time of the growth rate was easy. When Atua did so, his eyes widened. Divergence to infinity. Three weeks.
I need to go inform High Priest-sama. Now.
DRAGON BALL EXODUS
Universe 15 Saga I: Ex Nihilo (and Other White Lies)
VEGETA
"I don't think I've ever seen them get this serious," Vegeta said. He stood by the console across the reinforced glass wall from the training room. Looking in, he could see his son and Goten performing a cooperative mission versus one of Sigma Twelve's adaptive programs. Two Sigma holograms charged at Trunks. The boys changed position and leapt, one striking high and the other low. The two holograms dissolved like the entire event had been choreographed.
"Higher training intensity was requested. I am currently providing the maximum that I consider safe, given their ages and conditioning," Sigma Twelve said. Three more Sigmas materialized around the two boys and began spraying ki blasts at close range. Goten turned into a miniature blur and slipped between one of the holograms' legs. Trunks did not react in time and was struck by dozens of blasts. Obscured by flashes of light, the boy seemed to disappear.
"Why would he do that?" Vegeta said, disgusted. "Terrible reaction time."
As the glow from the blasts faded, Vegeta realized that no reaction time had been involved. Trunks had simply tanked the entire barrage, and stood staring coolly at the holograms. He turned into a blur. Within a few seconds, he had delivered crippling ki-charged strikes to each of their torsos. Their simulated organs shredded, all three fell simultaneously. Clothes ripped, the beginning of bruises across his chest, the boy turned to look at the console where his father was standing. He wore a look of disdain that Vegeta immediately found annoying.
"Come on, Twelve!" Trunks shouted. His voice was picked up by the microphones and sent to the console speaker. "Send something hard. I barely felt that."
"Probability of unnecessary exposition at near unity," Twelve commented over the console speaker.
"You're right. He is showing off," Vegeta said, scowling. He hit the toggle for the console's microphone. "Twelve, give him one of my programs. Level 4."
"D-Dad?" Trunks said, looking out through the glass. Oh, now he looks concerned. Goten likewise stared out at the console in alarm.
"Goten can help you. You'll need it," Vegeta said. He hit the toggle again and turned to regard the console. "I'm serious. Level 4."
"Probability of injury is-" Twelve started to say.
"If they get injured, we will treat them," Vegeta interrupted. "I'm not asking for a consultation, Twelve. Do as I say."
"Yes sir," Twelve replied, his voice neutral as always. Annoying, but… whatever. He just needs to follow orders. The inside of the training room darkened. At one edge, the distinctively defined form of Sigma Twelve himself emerged. "There is also a nonzero chance of fatality."
"True in just about any fight," Vegeta said. A grim smile spread across his face. "Today, we will treat them like warriors, not children. I'm not punishing them, Twelve. I'm rewarding them."
"Commentary on Saiyan psychology archived," Twelve said. "Interesting."
"Don't start sounding like that idiot psychologist," Vegeta ordered. He struck the console just right, so that it vibrated through the entire superstructure down to the core.
"N-n-no," Twelve said. A mild flash of red bathed the room for a moment. Hah! My wife isn't the only one with tricks, hologram. "I have no intention of doing so."
At that instant, the hologram and the two boys entered combat. As before the two of them were acting in near-unison, their strikes coming high and low, or right and left, with erratic timing that would have been devastating to an unprepared opponent. Twelve yielded ground, allowing the relatively short arms and legs of the boys to flail in front of him as they tried to hit him. He looks almost exactly like Whis backing away when Kakarot or I try to hit him. I'll have to mention that to him later. Without warning, the hologram began to counterattack. It was obvious from the start that he was focusing on Trunks, all but ignoring the other boy. As Goten prepared to flank the hologram, a swarm of drones descended and began firing miniature explosive rounds. A few struck his leg, causing him to wince in pain and back up.
"Divide and conquer," Vegeta said quietly.
"Combat effectiveness as a team is markedly improved versus what would usually be predicted," Twelve said. "They are extremely well-coordinated."
"I see that," Vegeta said. "Don't hold back. I want to see what they can really do."
Almost simultaneously, the two boys transformed, shouting and sending a burst of golden light across the room. Goten smirked at the drone fleet that was encircling him, his posture betraying tension ready to snap. As they fired burst after burst, he simply began dodge fluidly, getting faster each time. His form began to blur, leaving ghosts in the air that began to confuse the drones' targeting. He then flew, almost lazily, right between the entire formation of drones. Vegeta couldn't help but laugh as the drones blew each other apart in slow motion while Kakarot's son emerged on the other side of the wreckage totally unscathed.
"Technique verified: Miracle Defense," Twelve said. "Effectiveness significantly improved from previous usage. Son Goten's ability to develop new methods is efficient."
"Reminds me of a much slower form of Ultra Instinct," Vegeta mused.
"Comparison is accurate. Correlation possible," Twelve said.
TRUNKS
Trunks had become thoroughly enmeshed in combat with the projection of Twelve. He had been fighting it for almost a minute, the hologram setting a pace that was making him sweat. In-between dodges, he became aware that two dim red eyes had manifested on the dark face of his opponent. I have his personal attention now? Oh, great. The simulated Twelve gave way to the inhabited Twelve, his black outlines somehow becoming more distinct and more real. Knowing what was coming, Trunks pushed his power to the limit, infusing himself. The sudden flood of attacks from Twelve met a solid wall of deflections as the young half-Saiyan stood his ground.
Trunks lashed out with a combination, temporarily forcing Twelve on the defensive. He managed to make the hologram back up almost a meter being losing momentum. Twelve's response was a flurry of strikes, followed by a massive lance of ki that missed the boy by only centimeters. Shit! I forgot, this is a scenario designed for Dad! The lance came around again. Trunks leapt into the air and jetted backward. He infused ki into his hands and began to weave, creating an explosive lattice of interlocking energy fields, giving it a fragile shell as a token nod toward safety. In response, the hologram curled his arms into a familiar pattern.
"BURNING ATTACK!" Trunks shouted, sending a blazing ball of red energy directly at Twelve.
"GALLIC GUN!" Twelve announced, firing an intense fluorescent green beam back at the child.
The two attacks met nearly in the center of the training room, throwing sparks and shards of energy as the combatants struggled… or simulated struggling, in Twelve's case. I think I might surprise Twelve here. Dad trained me how to do this. It's like arm wrestling, but um… a little crazier. Trunks coolly paced himself, using just enough energy to force his attack forward slowly. When Twelve amplified his power, Trunks met it. Behind them, Goten had stopped to watch. The drones that had been firing went dormant, hovering in mid-air. From the control room, Vegeta leaned over the console to get a better angle. When Twelve increased his power to its level-maximum, Trunks found himself starting to lose ground. The burning projectile, barely holding its coherence, slowly began to approach its own creator. Trunks stared at it, the red glow slowly growing in his dark eyes. Dad is watching. Goten is watching. I can't lose this. I'm not going to lose this!
Snarling, Trunks' muscles nearly doubled in size and little bolts of golden energy traveled across his form. The seething ball of energy halted, and then began to reverse course as he finished. I know this form sucks at speed, but the power is what I need. Try this, Twelve! He focused, using the raw capacity of his new form, and pushed. The ball immediately began to move once again, forcing the hologram's attack backward. Sweat ran across his body as the extra bulk almost made him overheat. He was starting to win the battle, but the cost in energy was increasing by the moment.
"Yeah! Go Trunks!" Goten cheered. In his peripheral vision, Trunks could see his friend standing well within the blast radius of both attacks. You idiot… back off, Goten! It was then that Trunks realized he had made a mistake. This is… a really bad form to use for a beam conflict. It's going to run me out of energy! Gritting his teeth, Trunks tried to force himself to transform back into the regular Super Saiyan form. He felt his muscles contracting, the flow of power going to the struggle mercifully becoming more efficient. The transformation felt much harder than usual, but Trunks ignored it and poured as much energy into it as he could. I don't care anymore! I'm not going to be embarrassed in front of my father, not like this! His energy now under control, Trunks focused on the conflict. It's taking me less energy to maintain then before… I guess Twelve is running low too. Almost as if he was gingerly setting foot on thin ice, Trunks pushed. The ball moved, with surprisingly little resistance. He pushed harder. It moved even further. He shrugged, and then gave it as much energy as he could.
Both attacks detonated almost on top of Twelve's projection. The resulting explosion sent the hologram flying backward into the nearest wall, a red zero on his chest. It also put Goten on his backside, his clothes smoldering. In the midst of it, Trunks stood surrounded by a crackling aura of power, breathing hard and pouring sweat. Before he could appreciate the break, his grinning friend was suddenly in his face.
"Look at your hair! Mr. Vegeta, look at his hair!" Goten said excitedly. Before Trunks could blink, his grinning friend was grabbing at his head. He batted Goten's hands away, glaring at him.
"Not bad," Vegeta said. Trunks looked up to see his father standing at the reinforced glass wall, an almost unrecognizable expression on his face. He looks… happy? "Not bad at all."
"First transformation recorded. Date and time stamped. Congratulations," Twelve said.
"I've done Full Power Super Saiyan before," Trunks said. Wait, is my voice deeper?
"Your current form is identified as Super Saiyan Two. Twelve out of fourteen characteristics present. Enhancement of power level provides direct evidence," Twelve said.
"Oh," Trunks said. Goten looked at him and started laughing. Yeah, I probably looked pretty funny there. "How is it that I didn't realize I was doing it?"
"You just breached Super Saiyan Two by accident?" Vegeta asked in a quiet voice. His face was expressionless. Wait, is he mad? Seriously? Okay, I've had enough.
"Yes, I did," Trunks said, looking his father dead in the eye. "Problem?"
"Not at all," Vegeta said, suddenly wearing a huge grin.
MAIZCAL
The grand meeting hall of Universe One, a place considered to be absolutely neutral ground by all deities, had been bustling off and on for the last two weeks. First the Gods had to be found. Some of them had to be woken, which itself had taken days. They had to be convinced that the situation was real, and urgent. They had to be brought up to speed by their attendants. They had to show up for a formal meeting. Then, because other gods were not as prompt, they had to wait. When the gods had all finally arrived, then came the real task: getting any kind of consensus. Maizcal had found out very quickly that he had been sidelined. He could observe the meeting, but there was not much he could do to influence it. In the greater scheme of things, a god without a universe wasn't much of a god at all. He had been forced to watch the other gods of destruction bicker and argue the same points over and over, some of them even checking out completely and falling asleep mid-discussion. There had been at least four attempts at assault, ended prematurely by politely smiling attendants. Two vendettas had been pronounced, and someone had read a sonnet aloud for reasons unnamed. Even for the gods of destruction, it had been quite a lively meeting.
Seated at the twelve chairs in a semicircle, all set equally high as a gesture of good faith, the gods were finally ready to make their decisions. The sun overhead shone in from the skylights set behind them, arranged neatly to illuminate them all with natural light. Across the white tile floor, grinning wryly, sat Maizcal. His chair was alone, facing the entire council. As the god with the most prosperous universe, as well as the host, Iwan was the first to speak.
"It's been almost two weeks," Iwan said. He just looks like a block of fur. I still have no idea where his words are actually coming from. "I believe we finally have our decision. The universes with lower mortal level will be allowed to collaborate on a solution first, giving them a chance to show their worth to Zeno-sama. Universes of higher mortal level will be held in reserve unless necessary. This has been agreed to be the most fair compromise. I will begin. Universe One will abstain unless we are needed."
"The assassin Harmira will represent Universe Two," Heles said. She is the only person here who might hate me more than Reis. She hasn't so much as looked in my direction this entire time. "His expertise in sniping and covert operations should be useful."
"Universe Ten will abstain," Rumsshi said. His arms were folded in front of his chest, trunk curling in mute agitation. Honestly, a pretty good guy. Most of the time.
"Universe Eight will abstain… for now," Liquiir said. His tails waved lazily from a convenient opening in his assigned chair. Never really got to know him. Kind of standoffish.
"Ganos will represent Universe Four. He's my best agent. Don't let him go to waste," Quitela said. His voice and expression were completely serious. The guy really doesn't like me for whatever reason, but honestly, I think he's hilarious.
"Universe Five will abstain unless necessary," Arak said. His fierce-looking face was almost unreadable. Oddly, one of the friendlier and more reasonable ones. He just looks scary.
"Vegeta will represent Universe Seven, but we knew that from the start," Beerus said in a bored tone. Feckless, hedonistic, and lazy. A man… cat… whatever… after my own heart.
"Universe Six. I'll have Hit standing by if necessary," Champa said, looking vaguely disgruntled. Same as his brother, except annoyingly petty and prone to whining. I won't lie, he gets on my nerves.
"Universe Three is abstaining for now. We currently do not have any robots fit for this task," the voice of Mule was projected from his great walking mecha, Mosco. The steel-reinforced chair underneath him was bowing alarmingly. I still don't get it. He's got speakers built in, but most of the time he speaks in high-speed binary and makes his attendant interpret. Gods are strange.
"Lavender will represent Universe Nine," Sidra said. Like Rumsshi, his arms were folded in front of his chest. Total hardass. No fun at all. His universe also kind of sucks.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Champa interjected, giving the other god a dubious look. "I think he tried to poison every other person we've committed to the mission."
"You said you wanted someone intelligent and stealthy," Sidra said, glaring back at Champa. "He's only slightly insane."
"Like your beard is slightly red," Belmod said. I do not like this guy. First week I was on the job, he tried to give me a list of guidelines. I literally used them for toilet paper. "Universe Eleven. The Pride Troopers will stand by to mobilize in entirety, when the time comes."
"Universe Twelve will abstain," said Giin. Just as much of a bro as Sidra is a hardass. Also, his universe definitely does not suck. "I think that should be all of us."
The gods did not all seem satisfied, but they had accepted the necessity of it: it was the best compromise they were likely to get. Breaking the silence following Giin's words, Maizcal cleared his throat. Twelve sets of eyes, ranging from dismissive to outright hostile, focused on him.
"I'm technically leading this operation. Do I get any say in this?" he asked.
"No," Iwan said.
"Given that it was formed from a political compromise, this team seems very competent," Giin said. I can't believe it, he actually looks sympathetic. Damn, I'm in a worse spot than I thought. "Maizcal, just be glad for it."
"Fine," the Saiyan god said. Too tall and broad for the chair they had assigned him, he sprawled across it like a bored teenager. "So we're done then? Finally? You all know that High Priest-sama gave me a month to deal with this, and now I'm down to two weeks. I fail, I'm erased. Again. I'd like to avoid that."
"In that case, I move that we continue discussions," Heles said, pretending to study the nails of her left hand. "For at least another two weeks."
A general round of mirth broke out at the suggestion. Maizcal just shook his head. High Priest thinks this is serious enough to call a full assembly over, and she wants to play around. However, not all of the gods were amused.
"Enough!" Rumsshi bellowed, standing from his chair. The gods immediately covered their ears, wincing. About time. If Rumsshi is fed up, this meeting is over. Nobody is talking over him. "No more of this. You all know what to do, we've been saying it over and over for days. Kusu!"
His attendant, smiling and chipper, seemed to step out of nowhere and into position at his side. A second later, all of the other attendants did the same. Some of the gods left without further words. Others began to talk animatedly with their attendant. Vados looked down at Champa, who wore a look of vague disgust.
"Shall we go and retrieve our Saiyans before picking up Hit?" Vados quietly asked. He nodded.
"If I solve their stupid little war, there won't be much of them left," the god said bluntly. "Cabba needs to learn how to pick up after himself."
"A masterful usage of irony, Champa-sama," Vados said.
"Thank you, Vados," Champa said, grinning.
The god completely missed the amused expression of his attendant, whose multiverse-spanning talents had oft been spent picking wrappers off of the floor. Meanwhile, Beerus was well-aware of Whis' opinion on the matter. The angel stared at the cat-god with consternation.
"They were literally our enemies two weeks ago. Are you very sure that he will cooperate?" Whis asked.
"He doesn't have any choice," Beerus said.
"This is Vegeta, Beerus-sama," Whis said. "I don't think that will matter to him."
"Let Maizcal worry about it," Beerus said, yawning. "I'm tired."
The Saiyan god in question was already speeding through the fabric of the multiverse, tethered by a sash to his attendant.
"So, they gave the lower level universes an opportunity to show what they can do," Reis said, breaking the silence. "Or to fail."
"I don't recall you being this fatalistic," Maizcal said, looking over his shoulder. She wore a very polite smile, the angels' version of a poker face.
"I presided over the death of a universe," Reis said lightly. "It's not fatalism. I just know how bad it can get."
"Come on. There's no way, after billions of years, that I'm the worst god you've seen," Maizcal said.
"I have tried many times to think up a less able example, and I have failed," Reis said. "Truly, you set the bar so low that the unwary could trip over it."
"That's harsh, Reis," Maizcal muttered. I… kind of deserve it. Man, she's different now. If that's really because of me, that's not something I feel good about.
The two of them continued toward Universe Seven in silence.
CABBA
I've seen this room packed with officers before. Even minor threats would get an eager response. I put out a call for assembly and… one person shows up. Admittedly one I was hoping for, but only one.
"General Brusso," Cabba said, standing from his seat at the large wooden conference table. Behind him, the walls were bare and freshly painted in white. The only ornamentation in the room were the twin flags of the Sadala Army and Sadala Defense Force, flanking the end of the table.
"Colonel," Brusso said. He took a seat across from the younger man. The general was thick-bodied and scarred, an officer so old that his injuries had moved him permanently to a desk. Acting as a coordinator between the other generals, Brusso had shown an aptitude for predicting threats and identifying exactly where forces were most needed. "It's a strange universe we find ourselves in."
"Indeed," Cabba said. "I'm afraid you may be the only one coming today. Many never responded."
"Don't really care about that," Brusso said. The eyes in his aged face were keen. "Been in the Army for almost eighty years. I don't like seeing what some of our boys are turning into, and I'm not the only one."
"That's good to hear," Cabba said, nodding. "Because it's my intention to bring said people back onto the correct path."
"And if they refuse?" Brusso asked. There was a silence while the two men took the measure of each other. The old man of the Army and the ace of the Defense Force took stock, and neither flinched.
"They die," Cabba said firmly. The general slowly nodded. "Don't let my old promotional vids fool you, General. I'm not nearly that idealistic any longer. I just want peace. Also, a universe where the word 'Saiyan' doesn't scare the shit out of the population."
"We are in agreement then," Brusso said, stone-faced. "We protect; even if we have to stand against our own."
"Good," said Cabba. He looked down at the table, tapping his finger on it. Brusso has the loyalty of several units of the Army, as well as an entire cadre of officers. A very good start. "As you know, I was gone while the crisis started. Any idea what we're up against?"
"Five splinter factions from the Sadala military alone," the General said. His eyes became distant as he considered the entire theater of war. "About thirty freelancers-turned-bandit as well, all Super Saiyans of course. Between you and me, and no offense, that transformation is the worst thing to happen to Sadala in quite some time."
"I don't agree with that at all," Cabba said, shaking his head. "We just need to establish new norms for it, make people understand the ethics behind it. Power is a…"
"…symptom of responsibility," the General interrupted. "I know the saying, Colonel. But when someone becomes that powerful, it is hard to predict their actions, or enforce any laws upon them."
"Which is why we have to police ourselves first," Cabba said. He realized only after he had spoken that he had stood and raised his voice. The only clue as to the anger on his own face was the sudden look of apprehension worn by the General. I have to keep that under control… or I'm no better than the people I'm trying to stop. He sat himself down again and took a deep breath. "We can argue about how to handle it later, we need to stop it now."
"Fair," Brusso said warily. "Do we have any other forces at our disposal?"
Cabba looked at the General, wondering how to respond. As he stalled, a small smile began to appear on the old man's face. Oh sure. A large and unreliable gang of bandits led by a combat junkie in a tube top. Well, and also Kale. She's worth a regiment all to herself. But I don't think the General is going to…
"Let me guess. Your buddy, the bandit girl?" the General asked. "She came back around the same time as you."
"Wait, how did you- I forgot. You used to work for Intelligence," Cabba said, shaking his head.
"That's not even the reason. Son, you and those two ladies were all over the network," Brusso said, now smiling broadly and starting to chuckle. "Our surveillance satellites snapped pictures of all three of you along with Champa-sama and Vados, and someone leaked them."
"So that's why hardly anyone showed," Cabba said. He banged his fist on the table as the General continued to shake with mirth. "My first appearance in weeks, and I'm hanging out with a notorious criminal and the God of Destruction."
"Everybody knew you and she were friends," the General said dismissively. "Outside of a little extortion and smuggling, her gang barely causes trouble worth the title. It was the sight of you with Champa-sama that made people think."
"And what were people thinking?" Cabba asked.
"That you were going to do exactly what you're doing right now," the General replied. "We may not know all of our enemies, Colonel… but our enemies sure as hell know us."
ATUA
"I am aware that the anomaly is growing, Atua," High Priest said. He looked down to where the Kai was kneeling, and then stole a glance over his shoulder. The two Zenos were well-occupied, watching a black and white movie. The Omni-King's guards stood by dispassionately, as they almost always had. "But I thank you for your concern."
"Three weeks, High Priest-sama," Atua said. "Only three weeks until it overtakes the World of Void."
"That's not possible," High Priest said. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the eyes of one of the guards swinging in their direction. "The World of Void is infinite, at least to my understanding."
"It is… um…" Atua said, resisting the urge to gesture. I hate trying to explain this stuff to the gods and angels. It's weird – they're our partners, but they barely understand what we can do. "I observed the rate of growth myself. The only model that it fit was an infinite series. One diverging to infinity."
"Are you quite sure?" High Priest asked. "If it manages to assimilate the World of Void, it will continue to spread. Given enough time, it could hypothetically consume… everything."
"Yes, High Priest-sama," Atua said faintly. He stole another glance upward, and couldn't help but stare. One of Zeno's guards was now standing next to them.
"If the multiverse becomes unstable, They become unstable," the guard said. Its normally menacing eyes only showed concern. High Priest stared at it in surprise.
"You spoke," the small angel said. He stared at the guard in unabashed wonder. "You actually spoke."
"Yes," the guard said. "When I need to. Fix this. Soon."
"We will, trust me," High Priest said. He's actually nervous. The father of all angels is nervous.
"Good," the guard replied. With that, he returned to his position. The twin Kings had remained enraptured in the movie, ignoring the entire conversation. The High Priest seemed to take a deep breath and compose himself, then looked down at the Kai with an eerily polite smile.
"Maizcal is already working on this, but he is… not reliable," High Priest said. "You should know that if he fails to solve this issue within two weeks, he will be erased."
Atua's blood ran cold as the angel's words sank in. If Maizcal is erased… I'm going to be erased! But why would High Priest-sama do… oh. The vision before him was the best answer he could hope for: the artificially unflappable High Priest, behind him standing Zeno's guards, and behind them both of Zeno as well. It's a threat to Zeno-sama. They have to answer it. My life is… an unfortunate coincidence. I have no choice but to play the hand I've been dealt.
"High Priest-sama, may I have your leave to assist Maizcal?" Atua asked. "Our fates are bound together and… no offense to him… he is an idiot."
"Yes, he is," High Priest agreed, his posture and expression showing subtle relief. "Your assistance would be reassuring."
"I'll… do what I can," Atua said. Last time I tried to intervene with Maizcal, I ended up as an alcoholic and our universe was erased. We also managed to turn one of the nicer angels into a raging nihilist. But, you know, no reason to feel discouraged. No pressure. Just both of Zeno-sama, High Priest-sama, and the entire multiverse riding on this. Riding on one mediocre Kai and the worst God of Destruction in recorded history. We're screwed. We're so, so screwed. Without realizing it, the Kai had developed a haunted stare and was gazing off into space. High Priest looked down on him with pity in his eyes.
"Nobody said that being a god would be easy," the angel said.