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CHAPTER 68
God's Will

Red dust explosions erupted across the landscape with wild-flying ki blasts and waves of air that shook the barren sea of wasteland below. Baby and Uub locked fists and knees, shouts and screams as they poured their energy and souls into their battle of demolition and attrition. Devastating blows were deflected and blocked as attacks blurred so fast that the swing of their fists created condensation streaks in their wake. Their enormous auras burst the water particles in mid-air into bombs of scalding steam around each collision. Their clashes and grunts echoed on the landscape, and their sound wave-defying blows created POPs that burst in waves through the steam, roiling the entire atmosphere itself as clouds swirled and tumbled.

The sky and ground moaned with their battle. The clouds got thicker, denser, and hotter. A steaming rain began to fall and ignite along their auras. It was magnificent and horrific…

… and utterly delicious.

GODS! Baby felt alive! He felt invincible! This rush was everything he wanted and needed.

This body of Vegeta's was a masterpiece, built for the ultimate ruination. He relished in the irony that the most powerful Saiyan still alive was also to be the object of the Saiyans' undoing. Glorious schadenfreude pumped through his veins and fueled his fortitude. He savored every drop of anguish that he lay upon the Saiyans and the rest of their weakling human world.

Baby could feel Vegeta's body flex and warm, the longer he fought. Vegeta was a corporal paragon - an engine of power that seeped with a delectable ocean of Super-Tuffle 2 energy. Baby felt vigorous and in control.

The longer the fight went, the more the every battle move became predictable. Vegeta's body knew these moves, and adapted to the speed and direction of the blows quickly. As soon as the fight even started, it became clear to Vegeta's memories that Kakarot had taught this boy, with a battle form straight out from his own fighting playbook.

Baby grinned wickedly and bit his own tongue in zestful anticipation. High power level or not, this human boy had no idea what he was up against. It was evident and confirmed by this kid's inexperience in developing his own signature variety of moves. Baby was ready for the victory. Baby was going to win.

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Bbl-bbl-bbl-bbl… The giant black cauldron burbled and bubbled over an ethereal flame as Kibito Kai was lying propped up with his elbows on the mowed grass beside it. Kibito was intently scrutinizing the crystal ball, which flashed actively as it displayed the battle within the living world between Baby and Kid Buu's reincarnation, Uub.

The expansive purple cloudless sky was adorned with a thousand white planets like moons, lit by a divine ambient light as they floated serenely across the ether. The peace was momentary, however, as the silence was again broken by the echoes of Goku wailing in agony and confusion.

Kibito glanced up to watch Goku's struggle with Ancient Kai as he shouted, "I don't understand why I need my tail! It only gave me problems last time!"

Goku shook his head and tried to pry himself free from Ancient Kai's grasp. Ancient Kai feebly tried to keep Goku within his grip, but the Saiyan's tailbone once again jerked free of the pliers.

Kibito knew that the plier-method was a feeble attempt at an insurance policy against what was to come, but any plan would be better than none. The battle was unfolding according to the prophecy of the Legendary Mystic Saiyan, and it was becoming harder and harder to withhold the prophetic truth from Goku and Piccolo.

The truth… was that the Legendary Mystic Saiyan would fall.

This was written in the stars since long before Goku, the Saiyan warrior born Kakarot, ever landed on Earth to bring his Saiyan bloodline to the human race. This was the destiny of an evil that started 10 million years ago. The legend told that this would be the final attempt at the final battle that would end the monster that devoured the Grand Supreme Kai, the rest of the Supreme Kais, and every Kai who ever faced him, ever. Kibito never got over their deaths. Kibito was the only true Supreme Kai left, and for a thousand millennia, he had vowed to avenge his comrades with every fiber of his essence.

The prophecy spoke of this day. Today would be the day that Majin Buu would finally die. And the Legendary Mystic Saiyan would also fall. It was to be certain, by decree of the Grand Kai at the precipice of prophecy. And so far, all the pieces were falling into place. Kibito felt his jaw sharpen as his aether pumped and flooded through his body. The mortals assumed that the true battle today would be against Baby. It was laughable. Baby be damned, the true demon will finally, FINALLY die.

Ancient Kai grunted as he interjected in thought, Only if we keep Goku distracted long enough. The old kai flung out his hands as he chased the teenage Saiyan. "Keep quiet and stand still!"

Goku rolled away from Ancient Kai, and ran to hide behind a tree. "I don't wanna!"

Ancient Kai shook his right hand outward as he marched toward the tree. "Goku, we already discussed this! We need a Plan B!"

Goku was exasperated as he jumped out from behind the tree and trotted toward Kibito. "But what about Plan A?! Don't we have a first plan?!"

Kibito looked up from the ball toward Goku. "We do," he nodded to Ancient Kai, "The Mystic powers are our first plan," and thought between them, … As long as Pan lives long enough. He looked to Goku, and corroborated the elder's words, "But Elder Kai is right; we also may need a Plan B."

Goku was desperate and uncomfortable. The training made no sense to him, and he started to think the Kais may have ulterior motives. He ran toward the Namek with pleading hands, "Piccolo, what do you think about this Plan B?!"

"Leave me out of Kai business," Piccolo huffed, sitting back against a tree.

"Ouuuuu," Goku whined as he continued to shake off the elder Kai through a series of hops, "Why can't I just help Kibito with the tea? I can brew tea!"

Kibito Kai leaned his head more against his arms as he looked back to the ball. His expression grew increasingly more concerned as events unfolded in the battle for the Tuffle planet. Normally, the Kais would not involve themselves in living world matters, but there were several exceptions in Universe 7, and all three of them - Baby, the Legendary Mystic Saiyan, and Majin Buu - were engaged in his foreseen battle. Very soon, he, the last Supreme Kai, would have to get personally involved.

Kibito's aether knotted in his core as he acutely remembered his despair as the North Supreme Kai and West Supreme Kai, were both absorbed in the fight against Kid Buu. Kibito also still deeply mourned the loss of the Grand Supreme Kai to Majin Buu millions of years ago; he had been a fatherly mentor to him in his early Kai years.

All of the Kais' combined power was still within Majin Buu. The only power that could thwart Majin Buu at this point was the original power source of the universe - the Mystic power of creation and destruction. It was power of the Mystic Kai, the original creator of the universe, which had been passed down through generations of Grand Kais until Ancient Kai bestowed it upon Gohan's family line years ago.

It was all predestined for this day.

In fact, there were three prophetic forks that could be predestined for this day. It was Kibito Kai's responsibility today to ensure that the correct prophecy would come to pass - the one that saved the universe.

In the first prophecy, Majin Baby Buu would live. However, if he did live beyond this day, his evil influence would be insurmountable. He would have the power to possess all life forms, both with his magic and dual-layers of mind control. After a brief but valiant series of battles with the remainder of Frieza's long-broken army across the quadrants, the rest of the galaxy and universe would soon crumble before Majin Baby Buu and his tyrannical rule. The Kais would be locked in pyrrhic warfare as all living things in the universe destroyed themselves. In this first prophecy, all life would end, and the last of the Kais would rule empty, barren space. This was the original prophecy. But a twist in time before the Cell Games created the potential for Gohan to become a Mystic Saiyan, and for him to pass his powers to his daughter, the Legendary Mystic Saiyan.

In the second prophecy, which was born of the rise of the Legendary Mystic Saiyan, Majin Baby Buu would die here today, and the Legendary Mystic Saiyan would die. The sacrifice of the Legendary Mystic Saiyan would rid the universe of existential threats, and the timeline would proceed normally. The Kais would continue their rule, and the balance of the Other World and Hell for Infinite Losers would be maintained. This would only be possible if Pan were to die today. This was Kibito's purpose - to ensure that this path would be followed.

The third prophecy was nothing to be concerned about - just a fairytale. The chances of it happening were infinitely small. It was a notorious and bloodcurdling tale. For millions of years, it was told as a ghost story to terrify Kai children and keep them up at night. The prophecy foretold the greatest, and most formidable villain to ever rise and oust all the Kais of their power, and his influence would spread as a collective plague to every single universe, every single fighter; every single god to live and to ever live. The rise of Paradox.

But the third prophecy had almost an almost-zero chance of coming to pass, so he did not let his thoughts linger on that possibility. The only path today would be Pan defeating Majin Baby Buu. Kibito Kai, the Supreme Kai of all Grand Kais, would make sure of it. He would also need to keep Goku at bay for as long as possible, because every second would count. And every second would ensure that Kibito would invoke the proper prophecy.

The existence of the alternate prophecies were warnings, however. And, for his due diligence, Kibito needed to prepare for them just in case, and was hoping he and Ancient Kai had enough time to extrude the fail-safe from within Goku. Despite how much Kibito had a particular fondness for Goku, it was always good to prepare a self-destruct button for just-in-case. And Majin Buu, to the Supreme Kai, qualified as a "just-in-case" scenario. Baby was just along for the ride.

Kibito mused to himself as he looked into the crystal ball, observing the fight in the living world. Baby had no idea what was coming to him. Majin Buu was a bigger force than Baby. Majin Buu was truly immortal, unable to be killed, but also unable to be controlled. Despite Baby's fervor, Kibito knew that even by taking over Majin Buu, Baby would ultimately be doomed to be absorbed by the djinn, who would feed off his evil energy over time. Baby would never retain a lifetime of complete control of Majin Buu. Kibito knew from the millions of years they had to fight Majin Buu, previous parasites had attempted to seize Buu's power, all of whom doomed to eventually disintegrate and be absorbed by Majin Buu. The djinn devoured all evil energy voraciously. Kibito, the Supreme Kai, supervised the larger vision of time. In the grand scheme of the universe's order, Baby was old hat, but Goku and the mortals did not need to know that.

Baby was just a tyrant. Parasitic tyrants could easily be taken down by the Kais.

But Majin Buu was a monster. And he was immortal. No Kai could defeat him. He was the true enemy.

Shudder. Just the thought of Majin Buu gave shivers down Kibito's frame.

The Saiyans were clever in the past when it came to Majin Buu. Years ago, the Earthlings had managed to split Buu's energy, which enabled the life force of Kid Buu to reincarnate. It weakened Majin Buu for a couple generations, but what the mortals failed to consider was that, even without its full energy potential, the corporal body of Majin Buu was still there. The physical body was the vessel - the magical Majin seed of the djinn monster. The vortex that would feed on evil.

Over time, there would be no way to stop the eventuality of the Majin seed regenerating its evil soul within its frame. The Saiyans' temporary body-split solution held no ground against the 10 million years that Majin Buu had been a threat, and the next 100 billion years that Buu could torment the universe if he were not stopped today.

Despite the two-decade respite in which Majin Buu was satiated by the company of Hercule Satan, Buu was not destined to stay good. Buu would live forever, and would eventually find his way back together and to regain his true nature. It was inevitable that Buu would always be evil. He was built from evil djinn magic. Majin Buu was the essence of evil. He was the threat.

But Majin Buu under the influence of Baby would die today. Even if it meant that Kibito had to become personally involved with the situation again in order to ensure the success of Majin Buu's demise, it would be worth risking his own life to support ridding the universe of its longest, and most nefarious nemesis.

Admittedly, Kibito considered with a little flutter in his belly, a field job like this also brought a sense of thrill. This was his chance to be away from this planet, even if just to separate himself from Ancient Kai and his constant yapping.

Kibito went back to observing the fight through the ball and thought with welling anticipation, Today is going to be a good day…

He glanced toward Goku and projected a warm, plastic smile.

…For the Kais, at least.

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–09/05/23-