Chris - Yeah, that's actually been a problem of mine for a while. As much as I like this story and where it was going, and how it would end, and all of that... my mind has kept jumping ahead to Saga 7 and some of the events I know will happen. It made it hard to focus on THIS saga when I couldn't keep the best moments of the NEXT one out of my head. x.x Also, Godock jumped straight to SSJ2 when he transformed.
Chapter Eighty-four - Death and Rebirth
"Godock! You have to stop him, quickly, or everything will be destroyed!" the Supreme Kai called.
The fusion scowled as he fought not to get tossed aside by whatever was attempting to push him around. He wasn't sure what was going on but Mikomi sounded beyond worried. There had been panic, despair, and pure terror in her voice. As the shaking faded and things settled again he held his arms out once more and quickly spawned two more energy discs. It seemed as though Quietus wasn't going to attack him. In fact, it looked as though the Demon had to actively maintain whatever it was he was doing and couldn't attack, couldn't even move.
He pitched the discs at his opponent, guided them directly at the Demon's neck. At first it looked as though Quietus would make no attempt to move, avoid, or counter the attacks. But then, just before they reached him, he lowered one arm and swatted at the discs with a glowing hand, shattering them. Godock scowled as Quietus raised his arm again, returning his focus to the odd energy mass over his head.
Still scowling Godock shot in at his opponent, reaching him quickly. Just as he lashed out with a punch for the Demon's head Quietus lowered both of his arms, deflected the incoming blow with one, then countered with the other slamming it into Godock's chest and knocking him flying backward. It took the Sai-jin several seconds, and several hundred yards, to recover. When he finally did he found that the Demon had, once again, returned its focus to the ball over its head.
Scowling deeper, frustrated and annoyed that he was being ignored, he prepared to charge in again just as everything started to shake once more. He almost lost his balance where he floated but quickly reached out with his energy and steadied himself, waiting for the quaking to end. As soon as it began to fade he shot in again, this time pulling an arm back and charge ki in his hand as he did. Still only half way to his opponent he thrust his arm out and fired the attack straight at the Demon's head.
Just before the ball of golden energy would have hit him, however, Quietus suddenly lowered an arm and swatted the attack away. Knocked it directly back the way it had come, right at Godock. The Fusion was coming in too fast, the redirected attack too close, to avoid or counter and it slammed into his face an instant later where it exploded. The blast knocked him down toward the ground and, before he could recover, he slammed face first into the Grand Kai's world.
"Your resistance is pointless. You only delay the inevitable." Quietus said.
Groaning and pulling himself back up out of the crater he'd formed Godock shook his head to clear it. This... was not going like he'd expected. Sure, Quietus was stronger than him now, certainly should be faster, but this? The Demon wasn't even trying and he was easily swatting him aside. Even as he gritted his teeth in irritation he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, willing himself to calm down and think it through. Losing himself to anger wouldn't help him win.
/So, I can't take him like this./ he thought after a second, as he regained his feet. /There has to be more to his speed than simply his ki. Magic or... something... for him to be able to react like he is. Fine. I'll just need to give it absolutely everything I have, give him one last attack he can't simply deflect./
Godock suddenly smirked. "Never thought I'd have to go all out like this." he said to himself, shooting up into the sky again. "You know, I'm not seven sure exactly what I'm capable of. I've never pushed myself to my absolute limit. It'll be fun to find out." He stopped going up when he was at eye level with the Demon, floating about sixty yards away. Even as another quake hit and threatened to toss him about like a doll he clenched his hands into fists and brought his arms up as he hunched over.
And then a cry rang out as his power churned and his aura swirled around him. His mind was focused on the task at hand, his concentration unbroken. Not counting his initial break through around eight months ago this was only the fifth time he had done this, and it was far more difficult than those before. A fact made evident by the fact that, though they had tried, neither Goku or Bardock could yet achieve it on their own. Only as Godock could they push through.
Those below watched on in fascination and confusion, at first unsure what the fusion was doing. It was Vegeta who first suspected, whose eyes widened in disbelief, wonder, and even a little admiration. As the fusion cried out, as his aura pulsed and swelled and swirled, as bursts of energy washed out from him and through the reaches of Otherworld, as his power churned and shifted and suddenly started to pulse higher. It was then that the Sai-jin King realized his suspicion was accurate.
"Unbelievable." he breathed.
"Do... do you know what they're doing?" Mikomi asked him. The Grand Kai's world was shaking now. Not from another Realm quake but from the sheer power washing out from the Sai-jin above them.
"They've found another transformation." he said, even as he noticed Godock's hair beginning to lengthen. "A third level of Super Sai-jin." All eyes turned to him, wide with shock, then back up toward Godock once more.
/A... A third level!?/ Mikomi thought in disbelief and wonder. /The first two already give them incredible amounts of power! A third would be.../ But she knew he was right. She could sense it in the changing of Godock's ki. She had been unable to place it before, or perhaps her incredulity at the very notion had caused her to ignore it, but it was clear Vegeta was right.
/It would seem you were right, Muzai./ Dabura mused as he watched the transformation unfolding. /I thought you a fool when you chose to save them, stopped me from purging them. But you saw something in these Sai-jins that I could not. I would never have imagined they could have become this but... you saw it, didn't you? Somehow, someway, you knew what they were capable of. What role they would yet play./
XXX
Otherworld, Yemma's Check-in Station
Yemma reached a hand out and slapped his desk for what had to be the tenth time in the last half hour. The Oni in the room all jumped and then started scurrying about their business again. They could all sense the powers on the Grand Kai's world and every time, every single time, there was some kind of power shift out there the Oni all stopped what they were doing and stared off in that direction. The fact that they were inside, not to mention half way across the plane, and thus couldn't see anything, didn't seem to faze them. They stopped, they stared, without fail.
He was as interested, and concerned, as the Oni about what was happening out there. The new power, the one that was currently churning and building, was unbelievable. He didn't know who it was or how they were so powerful, but he also knew it didn't matter. All that mattered was being ready if, when, they won. He could satisfy his curiosity later, drill the Grand Kai for details the next time he came by.
He was about to start barking out new orders when he heard something. A sort of groaning and cracking sound that seemed to be coming from below. From somewhere within the depths of the station. He didn't know what it was, couldn't see it, but below him the magical barrier over the doors to the Mortal Plane was rippling. Cracks were beginning to snake along its surface. The barrier was still tied to Quietus and, though the Demon had gained considerable power since creating it, it was still only as strong as it had been then.
Strong enough to resist Mikomi's power. To resist Gohan's power. To resist all attempts to break it. But the power washing out from Godock, the power traveling through the magical link between the Demon and the barrier, was becoming more than it could resist. As the fusion's power pulsed higher and higher the barrier strained under the pressure. Suddenly there was one last violent and powerful surge of power and the barrier gave out. The cracks grew through the entire length and then it exploded like a shattered window.
The doors flung open at the same time. All the energy they'd been exerting over the last day as they'd tried to open released in instant and, though Yemma could not see it, he heard it as they slammed into walls below with tremendous force. Before he could order an investigation there was something he could see. Even as the crash from below still reverberated in his ears he saw them begin to appear. One. Twenty. A hundred. A thousand. A million. Soul clouds stretching as far as the eye could see along the path outside his station.
Grinning he slammed his hands against his desk again. "We're back in business!" he boomed. "Start pulling the returned souls from the line and sending them back where they belong and start sending me the new arrivals!"
Among the soul clouds outside the station were several soul bodies, scattered along the line every few million clouds or so. Among them, Tien, Gohan, Yamcha, Hotaru, and Sango. The five of them looked around in confusion for a moment, not sure what had happened. The last thing they remembered was Quietus's attack coming. At first, Sango thought something had gone wrong with her Terepo. She'd meant to move them to the edge of the battle, not to... where ever this was. Then Yamcha spoke.
"I... I think we're... dead." he said looking at the check-in station off in the distance. It was a long way away and there were a lot of clouds between it and them. But even at this distance it was recognizable from his previous visit through following the battle with Zarbon years before. Hotaru recognized it, too, from when she died during the battle with Frieza.
"Quietus's power..." she said quietly, closing her eyes. She couldn't believe how strong the Demon had become. There was no way they could...
"What is that!?" Gohan suddenly cried, drawing all their attentions. The other three reached out with their minds and soon reeled in shock. They could sense Quietus, though his energy had changed some and was even greater now than it had been before. But they could also sense another power. One that seemed familiar but that they could not place. One that was even stronger than Quietus.
"Hey!" a voice suddenly called. "Do you guys know what's going on?"
"K-Krillin!?" Gohan stammered, shocked, as the bald man landed a few feet away, halo floating over his head.
"Hey, Gohan. Man, I can't believe you're here, too. Did Cell sneak up on you, too?"
Gohan blinked, then shook his head. "No." he said. "I can explain later. Right now, we have to go see how the battle's going."
"Everyone grab on to me." Sango said. They did as instructed and, a moment later, just as the Oni from the station were reaching their location to sort them, they vanished.
XXX
Otherworld, Grand Kai's World
Godock let out one last cry of force and then there was a blinding flash of light as his aura swelled up, flashed, and then stabilized. Vegeta swallowed as he felt the fusion's new power. A power much higher than Quietus's. But it wasn't the power that left him staring in shock a second later. As the fusion's aura had stabilized he'd finally gotten his first good look at the end result of his transformation.
And he recognized the look.
/That... that's just how The Ancient looked!/ he realized with a start. The same protruding hairless eyebrows. The same long golden hair. The same multi-colored eyes, teal irises around dark blue pupils. But... what did it mean? /Was that odd version of me at the third level, too? No. He had the eyebrows before he transformed... So then... what...?/ He frowned and pushed it aside. It didn't matter. That other part of him had been beaten, it was no longer important.
"Wh-what the?" a voice suddenly stammered from behind him. The Sai-jin King, and those with him, all glanced back to see who had spoken and Videl's eyes widened.
"GOHAN!" she cried, jumping at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face against his chest, and crying.
"Uh... V-Videl..." the half Sai-jin stammered, looking down at her clearly unsure how to react.
"What... who is that?" Hotaru asked, staring up at Godock. She couldn't believe how much power the person had. The Sai-jin had shifted positions now and was floating his his hands cupped at his side. There was a flash of blue and then a brilliant ball of blue ki flared between his hands. The energy seemed to be shimmering and giving off little sparks as the power of it built.
"Bardock and Kakkarotto fused." Vegeta said.
"Huh?" asked Yamcha. "Fused?"
"A technique they learned here in the last seven years." replied Zenryou. "The man up there is comprised of both Sai-jins."
"Is that why his hair is like that?" asked Tien, looking up at the man trying to see him through the building glare of the energy in the Sai-jin's hands. It was brighter than any ki he'd ever seen before.
"No." said Mikomi. "It would seem that they found a third level of Super Sai-jin."
"Third level!?" Krillin cried, wide-eyed. Before any further discussion could occur, however, everything began to shake. Krillin and the others were all thrown off their feet. Some tossed to the ground, others tossed sideways or into the sky. More cracks of white snaked through the sky as the quaking continued. As it faded away again Mikomi swallowed. Not all of the white cracks had closed this time. There were still two of them floating in the sky, pulsing faintly.
Then, suddenly, the dual voice of Godock rang out above them. "Celestial Kamehameha!" The fusion thrust his arms out and the ball of blinding blue ki erupted into a wave surging toward the Demon, the power from it suddenly increasing massively as it was launched.
"Ugh, no way!" Yamcha cried, shielding his eyes. The beam was brighter than the sun, he couldn't even look at it. They couldn't see it through the glare but the beam was only ten feet across and sending out sparks of energy as it charged through the sky. As it neared him the Demon lowered his arms and the odd mass over his head began to shrink.
The fusion expected the Demon to launch a counter attack at any moment but an instant later his Kamehameha slammed into Quietus without meeting any resistance. Just as it did Quietus spoke again, though his final words were torn away by the roar of the energy and went unheard as the stream ripped him apart. A moment later Godock let up his attack, the beam and glare faded, and the fusion relaxed.
He let out a sigh, brought an arm up, and wiped his brow. The Demon's energy had vanished, and so had the black mass he'd created. But Godock was... confused about that final exchange. Quietus hadn't attempted to defend himself at all. Not that he could have done much, but the fusion had expected at least some degree of resistance. But the Demon hadn't even tried to block. Well, either way, it was over.
/Not as much as I'd expected./ Godock mused. /I thought for sure I could manage more power than that. Well, at least it was enough to get the job done. Now, if I gauged things right I've got... ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one... Uh?/ There was a sudden flash of gold as he reverted to normal, and then he began to glow. A moment later he'd split apart back into Goku and Bardock once again.
"Huh. A second off." said Goku, blinking and looking at his hands. He'd expected the fusion to end a little sooner than that.
"Way too close for comfort." said Bardock. "Transforming to level three after fusing saps a lot of time. We really need to break through on own."
"Fusing while transformed isn't much better, with the way it increases the power drain." Goku said. "I think we just need more practice at pushing through."
Bardock frowned in thought but before he could say anything a deafening roar of cheers erupted from below. The pair looked down and saw that the Demon invaders were all in the process of fleeing, and the crowd of dead warriors were pumping their fists in the air and hooting and hollering and... chanting their names. The two Sai-jins grinned at the cheers, reaching an arm up and scratching the backs of their heads. The pair was about to land and join the others when the quake hit.
Caught unprepared, off guard, the Sai-jins were tossed through the sky, Goku slamming into the ground and Bardock flung off to the side. Meanwhile more white cracks formed and, while several closed, three more remained open. The two that had already remained after the previous quake had grown in size. As everyone recovered, Vegeta scowled.
"They beat him, so what's going on?" the Sai-jin demanded.
"They stopped Quietus, yes." said Dabura. "But the damage has been done. The Realm has been weakened too much to sustain itself. It is now collapsing under its own weight."
"Collapsing?" Goku asked, climbing to his feet. "That sounds bad."
"You may have won the battle, but the war has been lost." said Dabura. "Shinkai is dying and will soon cease to exist. Makai will likely not be far behind."
Gohan looked back down at Videl, who still had her arms wrapped around him and face pressed against his chest, then turned his gaze to Mikomi. "We need the Dragonballs." he said.
The Supreme Kai met his gaze for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. It's a long shot at this point but it is our only hope."
"We can head to Earth, track them down." offered Bardock.
"Unnecessary." said Piccolo. "I spoke to Dende a few hours ago, he's already gathered them all at the Lookout. Said he wanted to be prepared after this was over."
"We have little time." said Mikomi. "I will go retrieve the Dragonballs from Earth and bring them here." As she finished speaking she vanished and, as she did, another voice called out from within the crowd.
"Krillin!"
The short man perked up and looked toward the sound of the voice. He recognized it instantly, and it brought a smile to his face even before he saw his wife pushing through the crowd and charging for him.
"Hey, Mijima." he said as she came to a stop about two feet away from him. He could tell she wasn't sure what to do. It was clear she wanted to hug him, much in the same way Videl had just jumped on Gohan, but he knew she didn't like to do that sort of thing in front of other people. So, he saved her from having to figure something out, and floated over to her, floated up to eye level, and kissed her.
"Do you really think the Dragonballs can fix something like this?" asked Hotaru.
"We're not sure." said Gohan. "But when I got back yesterday the Supreme Kai and I talked about the Dragons and their powers. We thought it was worth seeing if Shenron could mend the damage to the Realm. That was before this started, though, so..." The Sai-jin shrugged. He wasn't sure if Shenron could do anything now that things were so bad.
"What about Porunga?" asked Yamcha.
"Porunga was how everyone Cell killed was revived." said Zenryou. "I spoke to Planet Namek's guardian yesterday, after Gohan suggested using the Dragons. He will be months recharging. At this point, the Realm wont last long." The Grand Kai sighed and closed his eyes. /At this point, we'd be lucky to make it another hour./ he thought. Just then Mikomi reappeared, along with Dende and a wooden bowl inside of which were the Dragonballs.
"I've explained our plan to your Guardian." said Mikomi.
"I'm not sure it'll work, but it is worth trying." Dende said as he dumped the balls out onto the ground. Stepping back several feet and joining the others he turned to face them again. "Arise, Shenron!" he called. The balls began to glow, brighter and brighter, the sky above them darkened, and then energy burst forth and surged skyward. The dead warriors all gasped and stepped back as the energy rushed into the sky, twisting and turning and looping all over.
A moment later it stopped growing and solidified into the Dragon, but it was not the Shenron that the others had expected. Not the one they were used to seeing. He was similar, but he was different. Instead of scales it had leathery skin, which looked to have a kind of glossy stone or crystal like quality to it. His mane looked like it was made as much of smoke as hair, maybe more, and the antlers had been replaced by horns. But his red eyes were still the same, and when he spoke his voice was unchanged as well.
"Who has summoned me?" the Dragon boomed. "Speak and I shall grant any three wishes within my power."
"That's... Shenron?" asked Krillin, blinking in surprise.
"I made a new Dragon after the Cell Games." Dende explained. "I couldn't keep the original Shenron powered forever, not without him losing a lot of strength over time. This one is mine, though he's still based off of Kami's design."
"Did he say... three wishes?" asked Yamcha.
Dende nodded. "One of the alterations I made to Kami's design when creating him." said the Namek.
"If I may?" asked Mikomi, and Dende nodded again. The Supreme Kai turned to Shenron to speak, but before she could another Realm quake began. It was far more powerful than any of those before and none present, save Shenron, were unaffected. The Dragon seemed to glow with faint green energy as the Realm shook around it, and it remained unmoved. As the quake faded Mikomi looked around to see what damage had been done. Now there were at least two dozen white cracks floating all around. Like bits of frozen lightning.
Distressing enough, but what was even worse was that she could see them continuing to lengthen now, even after the quake had faded away. The Realm was pulling apart even without the violent upheavals of the quakes. Quickly she turned from the damage and faced the Dragon, their only hope of survival. She wasn't expecting a miracle, all they needed was a thousand years. By then both Kibito and Akemi would be in position and, together, the three of them could hold things together and start the long work of restoring the Realm to order. But first, the wish.
"Shenron!" she called. "I have the first wish!"
The Dragon turned its gaze directly toward her and its massive red eyes narrowed. "What does a Supreme Kai need of me?" the Dragon asked. Mikomi blinked a few times, a little surprised that the Dragon had recognized her. She pushed it aside quickly, however. There were far more important things to deal with.
"Shinkai is failing. The balance has been disturbed and the Realm is starting to collapse. I wish for you to repair the damage to the Realm to the best of your ability!"
Shenron flexed as a low rumbling growl emanated from deep within it. "Already you ask for the challenging." it said. "Very well, if that is your wish it shall be done." The Dragon's eyes flashed once, twice, and then began to glow. Those standing around the Dragon watched and waited. Then Mikomi saw one of the white cracks stop growing and, a second later, reverse in direction. She swallowed as she watched the cracks fade and begin to vanish, relief flooding through her that it was working.
Then one of the dead warriors cried out and she turned to see what had happened. The tear to the Mortal Plane had flared open and was pulsing and flashing, giving off waves of white light as it slowly began to shrink. A moment later it closed and, with a final flash of white, vanished. Mikomi couldn't believe it, but the tear was gone. Completely sealed. And then another cry came from the crowd, one of the warriors pointing into the sky.
Mikomi turned her gaze that way and saw what the warrior had seen. Between the Grand Kai's world and the distant H.F.I.L. yellow light was snaking through the air. Streamers of light forming and snaking out in various directions, yellow mist flowing from the light. After a few seconds it all started to glow, then flashed, and when the light was gone she saw that the clouds had been restored.
Still Shenron's eyes glowed and as those gathered watched on the craters on the Grand Kai's world began to vanish. The damage from the battles of the last day was being reversed. Even the destroyed sections of Zenryou's mansion were restored. All eyes turned skyward a second later as a bright flash filled the sky.
There, about a hundred yards above Shenron, a ball of white light had formed and every few moments it pulsed and set out a wave of white energy through the plane. This went on for almost a minute, then the light faded and vanished, and Shenron let out a sound that seemed almost like a sigh as its eyes stopped glowing.
"Your first wish has been granted." Shenron said. "What is your second wish?"
Mikomi could feel it, even without trying. She could feel the stability of the Realm all around her. It was like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She hadn't felt the Realm this strong in... millennia. Not in ten thousand years or more. This was... more than she'd ever dreamed the Dragon could do. So much more.
"Uh... what IS our second wish?" asked Yamcha, drawing everyone's attention back to the Dragon.
"We need to revive everyone killed in the invasion." said Gohan.
"Mmm, more than that." Zenryou said. "There were some killed on Earth before the invasion began. As well as the population of a world in the West Galaxy. I can already sense that the world itself is back, likely a result of the first wish, but the people are still absent."
"So, revive everyone who died in the last, what, twenty-four hours?" asked Krillin.
"No." Tien said, shaking his head. "That would bring back the invaders, too."
"How about just everyone from Shinkai?" suggested Videl.
Gohan shook his head this time. "That still includes our old enemies that Quietus brought back."
"What about everyone not part of Quietus's army?" asked Dende.
"Hmm. We can't be sure that would work right, either." said Piccolo. "Slug said that he, and so likely quite a few others, were working under orders from Raven. They may not technically count as Quietus's army then, and so they'd be revived with the wish."
Goku frowned and scrunched up his face in thought. They'd never had this much trouble reviving their friends before. Not everyone they needed to bring back had been killed by Quietus, some of the bad guys may not have actually been working for him... How did they weed out the bad peop... Suddenly, he grinned.
"I know!" he cheered. "We wish back everyone who died as a result of Quietus being set free, except for the really bad people."
"That... could work." said Zenryou, nodding. "It's a little vague, but it certainly eliminates anyone who aided Quietus."
"As good a wish as any." agreed Mikomi. "Goku, it was your idea."
Goku nodded and turned to face Shenron. "Shenron! I wish for everyone who died as a result of Quietus being set free to be revived, except for the really bad people!"
"So be it." Shenron thundered as his eyes began to glow again. A moment later a faint glow enveloped first Gohan, then Videl, and then Vegeta as well and their halos faded and vanished. And then something... unexpected happened. The same glow formed around others. Goku, Bardock, Sango, Hotaru, Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin. Their halos, too, faded away.
"I... I'm alive?" Krillin wondered, looking himself over. "Not that I'm complaing, but... how?"
"Yeah, I'm confused, too..." said Hotaru, noting her lack of a halo, and Yamcha's. "Shenron's revived us before..."
"Kami's Shenron." said Piccolo. "Not Dende's. Different Dragon. Same as how Moray's Porunga revived me yesterday."
Above them, Shenron's eyes stopped glowing once more. "Your wish has been granted. One wish still remains."
"So, do we even have a third wish?" asked Hotaru. She glanced around at the others, to see if anyone had any ideas, and noticed that Bardock was frowning and staring at Appla. Glancing toward the woman Hotaru realized why. The Dragon had revived him but not her. Her most recent death was still from the Cell Games, not the battle against Quietus's invasion. "If not... I have a proposal." she said, still looking at the two Sai-jins.
A few moments later Shenron began to glow, then exploded in a shower of sparks, like a massive firework. Then the balls lifted into the air, going up higher and higher, growing brighter and brighter. Just before they would have scattered and shot off into the distance, they vanished.
"What was that?" Goku asked, looking for some sign of the Dragonballs.
"I returned them to Earth." Zenryou said. "With the Realm nearly restored to normal, and the doors to the Mortal Plane open once more, it wasn't difficult. Better they scatter there than here."
"So... what now?" asked Bardock.
"Now we return home." said Dabura. "Shinkai's problems have been corrected but there are still issues in Makai that need my attention." The Mazoku King frowned a little as he considered the mess he would be returning to. Much less problematic than the destruction of his Realm, certainly, but perhaps more annoying. Three Supreme Mazoku, dead, and the Grand Mazoku as well. He felt that he and Nefaria could get along fine without the other three for a while, but the Grand Mazoku would be an issue...
"Um, Dabura?" Gohan said, turning to face him and getting his attention. "Before you go, uh, there's someone you need to meet." The half Sai-jin motioned to Paine and she stepped forward hesitantly. Gohan explained to Dabura what had happened in Makai and how, and why, she'd helped him get back to Shinkai. For a long moment the Mazoku said nothing, and then he suddenly stepped forward, reaching up an arm as he did.
Paine half cringed away, worried that this was the end of the line for her, but also determined to hold her ground even if it was. The Mazoku King did not attack her, however. He merely placed his hand on her head and closed his eyes, a red glow forming around his hand and her head. After a moment, Dabura smirked and opened his eyes.
"You may be just what we need." he said, removing his hand and lowering his arm.
"I... what?" Paine asked, confused.
"The Grand Mazoku is dead. Someone needs to take his place. I was considering using Dark Ascension to make a replacement quickly but... I think you would suit just as well, without the unpredictable nature of the Ascension spell."
"Is that... possible?"
Dabura shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. But I think a little mixing of magical talent and it might be. The South Mazoku knows a fair bit of magic. I think with her knowledge and mine we just might be able to do it. If not..." Dabura glanced toward the space that Shenron had just occupied, then back to Paine. "If not I know of another in Makai who may be perfectly capable on their own."
Dabura turned to Mikomi again, and gave her a small nod. "Let's not make a habit of this, shall we?"
The Supreme Kai grinned and nodded back. "One universe ending disaster is enough for anyone's lifetime." she agreed.
"What about the Demons still loose back in the Mortal Plane?" asked Hotaru.
"With my powers back to normal I can round them up." said Zenryou. "Not to worry. Everything will be back to normal in short order."
"Yes. Now, let's get all of you home." said Mikomi.