"How..? How did you manage to get stronger in such a short amount of time?!" Mago gagged out of her disbelief.

"You have no idea what it means to protect someone," Vegeta replied. "Don't dwell on it too much though, because by the end of this fight, there will be nothing left of you."

"Don't be ridiculous! I am a member of the Destroyer Mercenaries! We are stronger and more powerful than the twelve Gods of Destruction. There's no way a mere Saiyan monkey bastard like you could ever surpass us!" Mago yelled at him.

Vegeta observed Mago for quite some time, before he let out a dark, sinister chuckle.

"Heh heh heh... Are you really that afraid of me you are in denial?" he said. "Do you honestly think that means anything to me? I'm sure you know that among the Gods of Destruction, I am the only one who has mastered the Secret of Self-Indulgence technique. Given my mortal Saiyan origins, so long as my fighting spirit burns, the stronger I grow. I actually realized something just now... This rapid growth in power isn't simply just a gift, I am still getting stronger and stronger! And I will continue to do so, which means that soon I will be able to reach a level of power that's unknown amongst the Gods of Destruction. If this goes on, I am sure I will reach a multiverse-level of power soon! Hehehe... That's right, with the Secret of Self-Indulgence technique, I can surpass all of you soon! I will become the most powerful among all, delighting in destruction and battle!"

"Stop talking nonsense! You're nothing but a worthless monkey! There's no way that I will be beaten by someone like you!"

Vegeta simply snorted back at her, "Hmph! Believe what you want. It doesn't change the fact that you are no longer a match to me. You're boring me. It's time for me to finish you off."

Vegeta held up his hand, his palm facing towards Mago, who was laughing at him and mocking him.

"Are you going to use Destruction on me? Hahaha! You fool! That won't work on me! I am an immortal, just like you!" Mago cackled at Vegeta, but there was a frightening seriousness across Vegeta's face which made her laugh die down.

Ba-bump!

Mago suddenly felt something within her jolt, which she did not expect. "What is the meaning of this?" she asked herself as she stared back at Vegeta's cold and cruel magenta eyes, silently questioning him about this.

"I already warned you once and gave you your chance. This time, you are going to be obliterated here… and by my hands!" Vegeta coldly declared. "And don't think that it will be painless. I will make sure that you will scream in utmost agony as I obliterate your entire existence. It will feel like eternity even if it actually is for just a brief moment in time. You better prepare yourself and make this fun for me."

"Obliterate? What does he mean by obliterate?" Mago pondered to herself in confusion. She found Vegeta's lips gradually turning into a wicked smirk, his reddish-purple eyes glinting with his destructive urge. He chuckled evilly at Mago, a cold, terrifying sound which instilled pure, utter terror in the Rose-Haired Ruby-Eyed Hunter's hardened heart. It was at that moment Mago realized why Vegeta was greatly feared for his sheer ruthlessness and cruelty. He doesn't forgive and would mercilessly destroy anyone who gets in his way.

"Obliteration!" Vegeta commanded in an imperious voice.

"Im–Impossible!" Mago screamed as she found and felt herself gradually but surely turning into black dust. She cannot believe it! She's an immortal, a God of Destruction's divine destructive power should not be able to do this to her! Vegeta used a technique that's exactly the same as what King Mu used to rid of immortals. So it's true that Vegeta has indeed surpassed a Universe-level of power just as Khalua, Daishinkan, and Yonshir deduced.

Unexpectedly, she raised her right hand and Bulma found herself being dragged towards Mago by a powerful, invisible force. There was a hint of unexpected surprise and worry as Vegeta's earlier confident expression changed when Mago grabbed Bulma by the back of her neck.

"Hahahaha! What's wrong, Vegeta? Have you lost your cockiness just now?! I can see you hesitating right now. I can't believe it! A God of Destruction hesitating to destroy! How foolish and weak have you become?! I admit that I lost to you. Yes, you may have won, but I will take your woman with me! DESTRUCTION!"

Bulma let out a gasp as she felt something within her chest jolt.

Nothing happened to her.

"What?!" Mago screeched, realizing that her power wasn't affecting Bulma at all.

Vegeta chuckled darkly back at her. Mago, who was already reduced to a quarter of her body, gazed back at him in shock.

"I already told you, I am stronger than you. Only destruction can go against destruction itself. There's no way you can destroy something that belongs to me or my Universe. That woman is under my power, you won't be able to kill her or destroy her no matter what you do."

"No! Impossible!" Mago bellowed loudly. She cried out loud due to the extreme agony she went through as her body slowly reduced to ashes. In her thoughts, she wanted Vegeta to end this. He was right, it felt like this torture will last for all eternity and she wanted it to stop right now. But the way he simply watched at her with those deranged pinkish-red eyes of his told her that he was truly enjoying this and that he would never halt his divine punishment on her at all. His evil, cruel face and that sadistic chuckle reminded Mago of the ominous visions the Pond of Oracles showed them, and her fear of him grew even more. She wished for someone, anyone among her colleagues to save her. She wanted to apologize to Vegeta for her foolishness, to beg for him spare her, to show her mercy, but no words came out of her. She realized she couldn't speak due to the pain. It was hopeless.

Soon enough, Mago's entire existence was completely obliterated. With her gone, Bulma dropped on the ground, coughing and gasping for breath.

Meanwhile, King Mu, the gargantuan King of Nothingness sensed a sudden disruption in the balance of the Multiverse. He popped his eyes open and stared at the greenish-black sky of the Null Void that was in front of him.

Suddenly, light passed through and all the darkness dissipated. Before King Mu stood Yonshir, Daishinkan, and some other multiverse-level gods whose identities were still mysterious.

"Did Vegeta Yonsei just obliterate an immortal being?!" Mu roared in anger.

"It seems so, milord," Daishinkan responded, bowing down.

"How dare he step beyond his proper duties, precede my decision, and disrespect my authority?! Daishinkan, summon all the Universe-level deities before me now! I will make an example of them!" the incensed King ordered.

"As you wish," Daishinkan obeyed. He quickly took out his angelic scepter to summon forth the Gods of Creation and Destruction of the twelve Universes.

Chapter 36: Reconciliation and Acceptance of One's Self

"Whis!" Vegeta hissed in the air. His guide angel quickly appeared behind him as if he just teleported through the closed space that Vegeta stole from Mago and made it his own when he chanted that spell earlier.

"Yes, Vegeta-sama?" Whis responded.

"Go ahead and fix this place. You can still do it, right?"

"Yes, milord. It is still within the ten minutes allotted time," Whis said.

With a tap of his staff, Whis rewinded the time within the said place, which caused the reconstruction of everything destroyed during the battle. It didn't bring Mago back though, since Vegeta completely erased her from existence.

When Vegeta removed the seal of the closed space, the orange-light of the twilight sky replaced the earlier crimson-dyed world. He was already back in his normal form, his back facing Bulma when she looked up to him while she picked herself off the ground.

"About what happened between us the other day–," Vegeta was telling her, but was cut off when the deep green crystal on the top of Whis' staff began to flash a green light.

"Oh my, it's Daishinkan-sama," Whis informed him. "They have probably taken notice of what happened here."

"Go ahead," Vegeta ordered Whis. He wanted to speak to the Grand Priest about what he commanded him to do the other day.

Whis tapped his scepter once more against the ground and the holographic image of the Grand Priest zoomed in above the crystal.

"Whis, Vegeta and Shin are being summoned in the King of All's palace now," Daishinkan said with a neutral tone, "The multiverse-level gods would also like to discuss something about what Vegeta did just now. Everyone will be waiting for you here."

"I understand, father. We will come over once Kaioushin-sama and Kibito-san join us."

The call got disconnected after that.

"You'll be in big trouble, Vegeta-sama," Whis warned. "You know very well that–"

"–we will discuss this in the King of All's Palace, Whis," Vegeta told him as he approached Bulma, who was getting worried. She heard that Vegeta was going to be in big trouble with the higher gods.

"I'll be back for you later, and then we'll talk. Don't worry about me," Vegeta told her.

"Are you really going to be okay?" she asked him, worried.

He simply snorted back at her, saying "Who do you think you're talking to?", before he returned to where Whis was waiting for him.

Before they could go, Bulma told him, "I will be waiting. Come back home, come back to me later. I will be waiting for you," causing Vegeta and Whis to turn to her. Vegeta nodded back before he disappeared in a giant blast of bright angelic light caused by Whis' hyperspace flight ability.

Vegeta, Shin, Whis, and Kibito appeared before the multiverse-level gods who were waiting for their arrival along with the other Gods of Creation and Destruction and their Guide Angels of the other Eleven Universes. Vegeta heard several complaints coming from Quitela, Liquir, and Rumshii as to why they were all summoned by the Grand Priest all so suddenly.

"This meeting is for us to discuss what occurred in the Seventh Universe just now," Daishinkan announced.

"Seventh Universe again?" Quitela repeated. "Your Universe surely gets into a lot of trouble, Vegeta! Guess that's what happens when a troublemaker like you is entrusted into that position of power! Keh! Keh keh keh!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes at him but decided not to respond to the taunt.

Daishinkan chuckled, "I would refrain from that if I were you, Quitela. You'll never know when he will decide to obliterate you out of your existence."

Quitela cackled, "Please stop joking, Daishinkan-sama. He may be the most powerful among us Gods of Destruction but he can't obliterate me."

"How about I tell you that the reason why we are here is because Vegeta obliterated Mago just now," Daishinkan revealed.

Everyone's eyes almost fell out of their sockets at that.

"Seriously? Mago? The Rose-Haired Ruby-Eyed Hunter, Mago?!" Roh asked breathlessly.

"Really?" Shin asked Vegeta, his head snapping towards his destroyer counterpart.

Vegeta nodded back in response, causing Shin to let out a loud gasp.

"How did he manage to use Obliteration? That is a power only King Mu could use!" Rumshii asked.

"Who knows? But because of this, Vegeta clearly broke the laws of the gods," Daishinkan answered. "According to the Article Yonsanmeng of the Divine Order, only the King of Nothingness is allowed to use the power of Obliteration and is also the only one who must bestow such punishment towards any immortals. Do you honestly think that we wouldn't know, Vegeta? How dare you rebel against the Multiverse-level deities! Do you wish to be obliterated by the King of Nothingness?!"

"I'm not hiding anything. It was a necessary measure," Vegeta declared.

"Necessary? How was obliterating a member of the Destroyer Mercenaries necessary to you?" Bairee asked him.

"Mago went to the Seventh Universe out of her own volition, wanting to preponderate the decision of the Gods of Creation and Destruction on her own. She tried to kill a mortal while distracting me with her useless puppets. I don't allow such unwelcome interference and disrespect in my Universe," Vegeta said through gritted teeth.

"This mortal is Bulma Briefs, correct?" Khalua asked.

"Yes…"

"Mago acted on her own volition because you failed to do as I commanded you to do. Khalua ordered Mago to be Yonshir's backup because you decided to ignore her," Daishinkan explained. "With that being said, even you preponderated the judgment and decision of the higher gods, Vegeta. You obliterated Mago on your own decision. Whether it is necessary or not, you shouldn't have done that. You didn't just disobey the divine law, you have also disrespected the power and position of the Multiverse-level gods! For that, you should be obliterated just as you did with Mago."

"Tch!"

"But… But–!" Champa protested, knowing that if Vegeta gets obliterated here, he will suffer the same fate too.

"Then where were you when Mago tried to destroy Bulma? Why didn't you appear to stop her?" Vegeta retorted. "You've been watching all this time and yet, you didn't dare to intervene."

"Multiverse-level gods do not need to intervene with mortal matters," Daishinkan answered.

"Bullshit! Mago was a multiverse-level deity! Unless you are taking her side or behind all of this, you should have interfered! But no, you didn't! You simply watched! If I didn't arrive on time, she could have destroyed–"

"–So what if Mago destroyed Bulma Briefs, why would it matter to you?" Daishinkan suddenly asked him this unexpected question.

"What?"

"I asked you 'why would a mortal matter to you?'. You are a God of Destruction, a being responsible to bring death and destruction in your Universe. You are never allowed to form any attachments in the mortal world, which you are meant to destroy in time."

Vegeta contemplated for a while. It was obvious that he was caught in surprise by that question. He didn't even know why he wanted to care for Bulma despite knowing the consequences of his actions. He had admitted to himself that he was truly beginning to be concerned about Bulma when he realized he couldn't sense her ki any longer. It was then he realized that he truly wanted to be with her all this time, that he didn't want to lose her the way he lost her in her first life. But of course, he couldn't let these multiverse-level gods know about that. Doing so would bring more danger to her life. While he was confident he could take on some of these higher gods now, there are still beings among them whose powers are beyond his grasp and comprehension.

So in order to protect her, he lied. He was thankful that he had this impenetrable ability that concealed his thoughts to himself.

He snorted, "Hmph! Don't get the wrong idea. Bulma Briefs doesn't concern me as much as you think. As the God of Destruction of the Seventh Universe, I did what you stupid higher gods should have done in the first place. Mago threatened a mortal from my Universe, and I find that insulting in my position as a God of Destruction!"

"Watch your tone, Vegeta. You don't have the right to speak to us in that manner. Unless you want your punishment to be slow and painful, you should obey and respect us! Do you honestly think what you did isn't insulting to the Multiverse-level gods as well?!" Daishinkan warned.

Tension grew within the meeting room as Vegeta refused to back down.

"Fine," Vegeta relented. "Yes, I did a job that I am not meant to do. Even so, I still believe I did what should have been done and you won't change my mind about it!"

Seeing that Vegeta isn't going to back down, humble himself, and admit his faults, King Mu finally interrupted. "You look determined about your disposition. It looks like you have gained your overconfidence back. Shall we continue our battle last time? If you win, I will let you off this one time," he challenged, causing everyone to turn to his direction in shock. "But if you disappoint me once again, I will obliterate you just as I promised. You, your Seventh Universe, including Champa and his Sixth Universe as well." he continued.

Champa swallowed hard nervously and turned his frightened face towards Vegeta, silently pleading him to refuse. He was visibly afraid of the consequences if he gets defeated here. It's utterly hopeless! But if Vegeta refuses to do what King Mu wants, both of them are going to be obliterated here too.

"Fine, I accept," Vegeta responded, causing Champa to look like he was about to die of a heart attack.

"What?! Are you crazy?! Are you so obsessed with such a mortal that you are willing to sacrifice two Universes for the sake of your stupidity?!" Champa screamed at him.

"Ha! Has he finally lost his mind? He is going to fight the King of Nothingness, of all people!" Quitela snickered.

Vegeta turned to Champa, "Don't worry. This is just like last time, Champa. Accepting this challenge is better than simply allowing them to obliterate us without a fight. At least, we will have a chance to fight back and survive. I am taking full responsibility for my actions, therefore, I will fight with everything I got this time."

"You…" Champa gasped. "Isn't your head getting a little too big now? Are you testing how many chances he will give you until he really obliterates us?!"

"..."

Vegeta simply ignored Champa's worries. At first, he thought that he wouldn't care much if everything got obliterated after all that he suffered throughout these 1,500 years. But then, his pride as a warrior won't allow him to simply accept this fate without a fight. Finally, after so many years of existing without any reason to fight, he had found a new resolve, a reason to fight for.

"Therefore, I shall teleport everyone to the Null Realm and witness this battle," Daishinkan announced. He raised his hand, his angelic staff magically appeared before his palm. He grabbed it with his right hand and tapped its end against the marbled floor, causing the meeting room to abruptly change into what the higher gods called as 'Mu no Kai' or the 'Null Realm' or 'World of Void', an isolated place outside of the multiverse with literally no time or space and is an infinite void. In this place, gods with multiverse-level of power can unleash the full extent of their abilities. The space was filled with a sky-like dark-greenish hue.

Everyone floated in this place, the group of universe-level gods looked at their surroundings in awe.

"This is my personal realm," King Mu explained to Vegeta, who looked back at him quietly. "We are in an infinite void that is outside the multiverse. We are free to use our full power in this place so you won't have anything to worry about like trying to protect something. I want you to let loose in this battle, Vegeta. Think that if you don't satisfy me, I will obliterate you and your Seventh Universe."

"I understand that much. As you wish, I'm going at full power now."

The non-participants of the battle, aside from the Grand Priest who remained levitating in the air, descended into a floating platform that looked like a stadium seating filled with long, arching bleachers, which magically appeared not far away from them. As soon as everyone was there, hurdled together according to their Universe or along with their comrades, the seat floated backwards as if to step back from the two warriors who were about to battle.

Everyone suddenly turned their heads towards Vegeta, who began to power-up with a long, continuous, and powerful battlecry. They could sense the ki he was mustering up growing continually, stronger and stronger, until they began to feel an unexpected earthquake.

"What is this shaking?" asked Arak.

"What is this massive power of destruction?"

"The entire Null Void is being shaken by this overwhelming destructive power!" Toppo gasped.

"Impossible! This can't be!" Rumshii commented.

"This ki… It continues to build up! It's like there's no end to it!"

Yes, this is it. This feeling, this heat, this overwhelming power coursing through his veins, boiling his blood and causing his heart to pulse strongly within his chest. This was exactly how he felt when he decided to unleash his full force against Mago, but as he continued to power up, he eventually realized that this power flowing within him now was greater, fiercer, and more exhilarating.

"Nnngh! Grrrrgh! Aaaaaah! Graaaaaaaaaah!"

"How can this be? All this power is coming from a single being?!" Liquir gasped.

"I know that Vegeta has become the strongest among all of us since he easily defeated us in that exhibition match we had 900 years ago, but I never thought he had this much power within him!" Sidra commented.

"Look! He's changing!" Iwan pointed out.

Vegeta could feel his body being filled by this unbounded power, and he braced himself for the transformation that was about to happen to him. He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth together due to the pain and heat that began to burn him from the inside. He felt his muscles vibrate as it gradually swelled. His flame-shaped hair that was flashing with his energy began to lengthen, going down past his shoulders. The flames of his destructive energy surged upwards, creating incredibly potent shockwaves around the already shaking Null Void. Suddenly, Vegeta's battlecry began to change into a maniacal laughter.

Within the wall of burning purple tongues of flame, Vegeta threw his head back as he continued his mad cackle, his back arching as he ascended into the air. His eyes had rolled into the back of his head, his scleras began to flash a magenta light before he lurched forward with a wide grin.

Everyone gasped in utmost shock when they began to sense that Vegeta was beginning to lose control. The laughter they heard was a sign of him completely allowing himself to delve deep into his inner destructive urges, giving in to his ego, and making him feel the euphoria of being self-indulgent.

A burst of purple light blasted outwards as Vegeta screamed with all his might. Something popped in his eyes and made his scleras entirely black.

When the light faded, and the flames that surrounded Vegeta were blown away, the God of Destruction of the Seventh Universe floated. When they all thought that he had completely lost his mind and his own sense of self, Vegeta was able to regain it all back at the last second, thinking of the world and people he had to protect. From his deranged appearance earlier, his entire demeanor changed into a more serious one. The blackness within his scleras faded, and his magenta irises appeared. His hair was wild-looking and longer, byzantium in color. His eyebrows gone, replaced by brow ridges, making his demeanor more fearsome and intimidating just like in his Ultra Ego form. His body was bigger due to the increase in his muscle mass.

"This is everything I have, Mu. Prepare yourself," he declared.

"This form… Isn't this..?" Bairee, who was with the other remaining four members of the Destroyer Mercenaries uttered as he recognized it.

"No, this is quite different," Khalua told his comrade.

"Hmmm… It seems that he's able to control that power well after all," Daishinkan uttered in surprise.

"Bring it on, Vegeta Yonsei!" Mu provoked.

Vegeta leapt forward to charge straight at King Mu, thus beginning the heated fray of rapid hand to hand combat between two powerful destroyers. Each time their fists collided, their energy created overwhelming shockwaves across the battlefield. Their ferocious attacks shook the world of void, with a destructive force that could break through the dimensional barriers of space and time across all multiverses.

"What a tremendous battle! It feels like the entire null void is shaking!" commented Gowasu, the elderly God of Creation from the Tenth Universe, as he watched the rapid explosion and shockwaves caused by Vegeta and Mu's fierce battle.

"GAMMA BURST FLASH!!"

An overwhelmingly devastating and puissant blast of ki energy burst out of Vegeta's hands and rammed straight towards the King of Nothingness with tremendous speed. However, King Mu stood confidently, and simply raised his hand towards the incoming beam.

In an instant, Vegeta's attack got reflected back at him. He saw that the blast collided with some kind of barrier King Mu had put up at the last nanosecond, and it bounced back towards him immediately. It was so fast he didn't even have the time to dodge before the Gamma Burst Flash blasted him backwards, scattering in several directions and causing a massive explosion. Vegeta was pushed back for several miles by its sheer force, severely injuring and burning him. His scream was heard echoing in all directions.

"Vegeta's attack didn't do anything!" Pell shrieked.

When the smoke cleared, Vegeta was levitating with his severely burned arms crossed in front of his face in an effort to protect himself. He hissed in pain, as his crimson blood flowed out of his injuries, dripping down across his arms and dropped to his fingers. Purple smoke was seeping out of his body, healing the damage he sustained. He wondered what happened while he allowed his body to regenerate completely.

"What the hell happened? I'm sure he took my Gamma Burst Flash head on, but he deflected it back to me. Not just that, the blast had scattered in all directions. Darn it! If I use Obliteration on him, there is a possibility that he would do the same as he did just now."

Vegeta flexed his now fully-healed right arm in front of him, looking down at his clenched fist. He can see his own blood staining his hand.

"But what is this feeling? I am not afraid at all. In fact, I am thrilled. I can feel my blood boiling even more. I wanted more of this. More! More!"

As he thought of that, he felt his body begin to heat up once more. His heart started to pulse enthusiastically, he could hear its loud beating in his ears and felt it in his chest. He closed his eyes to focus on these feelings.

"That's right. You're doing well. You are slowly mastering your power. This time, I will test it out! Show me how you will take this on, Vegeta Yonsei!" King Mu declared as he raised his arm towards Vegeta, his palm facing the God of Destruction of the Seventh Universe. Vegeta gritted his teeth as he braced himself for the upcoming attack from the King of Nothingness.

"Obliteration!" King Mu commanded.

An intense pressure instantly engulfed Vegeta and it began to crush him inwardly. It was there he realized that this was greater than the Obliteration King Mu used on him previously. This was more hellacious and more powerful than those. He let out a mighty scream, pushing the invisible force away from him as hard as he could.

"He's done for!" Mule exclaimed.

"I can't… I must not lose here!" Vegeta desperately thought to himself as he began to struggle when the pressure started to feel even greater after King Mu added power to his attack. "I cannot lose here! Damn it all to hell..!"

"It's over," Khalua said grimly. "How sad that it has to end this way for him. He had great potential but because of his uncontrollable and troublesome nature, he had to be obliterated like this. He should have just obeyed quietly instead of rebelling against the higher gods."

"I feel bad for Champa, Fuwa, and Shin. The three of them are going to be obliterated because of that stupid Saiyan," Quitela snickered.

"No..! Noooo!" Champa began to panic beside his guide angel, Vados and his Kaioushin counterpart, Fuwa, who were surprisingly calm.

"Is it going to end like this?" Shin asked Whis and Kibito.

"No! I refuse to believe this is happening! I can't take this anymore! Vegeta! What the hell do you think you're doing there?! Do you want us to be completely obliterated?! If you are truly the Destined Strong One, break through your limits and make a miracle!" Champa yelled.

"Look at Champa! He's going crazy!" Roh laughed at Sidra.

"Well, if I were in his place, I'd go crazy too," Sidra defended.

"Of course not!" Vegeta responded to Champa through his thoughts. "I will not lose here no matter what. I will prove them all wrong! I will show them all… I'll show them all what it means to protect something!

"The pride and honor of my people, the Saiyan Warrior Race, now lives within me. Only I have the power to protect everyone in the Sixth and Seventh Universe. Whis, Shin, Kibito, Champa, Fuwa, Vados, Bulma… everyone in those two Universes now depends on me. They all believe in me. Power… Give me power! I need power to prove these multiverse gods wrong! Or else–"

Vegeta thought of what would happen if he loses here. Him getting obliterated because he was too weak to defend and protect everyone. The thought of all those people he mentioned above being erased, and then… Bulma.

He could imagine her face, hurt and sad, there was also worry in her tearful huge, cerulean eyes. He heard her voice, calling out to him, "What are you doing, Vegeta?! Vegeta!" she cried.

Then she was slowly erased from his thoughts. It was then when something suddenly snapped inside of him. He felt the heat within him instantly shot up, then the warm breath of his inner beast engulfed him. In his subconscious, the monstrous monkey mind within him awakened and the chains that restrained his wild side shattered. He lurched forward before throwing his head back and roared mightily into the skies along the primordial roar of the Oozaru.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

The flames of his purple aura abruptly exploded outwards, engulfing his body in a gigantic whirling pillar of destructive fire. The explosion that came with it broke through King Mu's Obliteration, effectively canceling it much to King Mu's unexpected surprise. Vegeta's unforeseen power up caused massive tremors and the surrounding sky to transform from a combination of black and green into a moving spectacle of black and purple swirls. Everyone watched this sudden change around them in awe or in terror as a beastly roar coming from Vegeta's inner beast resounded along his powerful continuous battlecry.

Within the inferno of purple fire, a massive monster formed from the scattered flames. It was the Great Monkey Demon, the Oozaru, wild, bloodthirsty, and powerful, roaring ceaselessly into the Null Realm to announce its freedom and that it's all ready to shed blood and cause insurmountable destruction into the world, all for the sake of protecting what belongs in its territory.

"What's happening?!" Everyone, except for Whis, cried out as they tried to cover themselves from the powerful shockwaves caused by Vegeta's sudden burst of energy.

"I can feel it. A rising, overwhelming ki coming from a strong desire to destroy in order to protect," Whis announced.

"What?! Are you saying that all this power is coming from a resolve that shouldn't be allowed for a God of Destruction? But how is he able to use the power of destruction as if it was his own power!" Arak gasped.

"Vegeta-sama is focusing his heart and soul in this battle, continuously making himself stronger while burning his fighting spirit as wildly and intensely as possible. The threat to his world, to everything he cared about, it's giving him the will to fight. The more he delves into his desire to destroy his enemies in order to protect what he must, the more his warrior's blood boils and his battle soul burns. This is a cultivation of everything he has learned, a combination of his powers as a Saiyan, as a God of Destruction, and his newfound resolve as a warrior. This is Vegeta-sama 's own power of destruction, a power that's always been with him ever since he was a mortal," Whis said.

"His own power? Did you just say that Vegeta has his own version of the power of destruction? I've never seen something like that before. The power of destruction is the same among the Gods of Destruction!" Jinn said.

"Hmm… that might be true," Whis agreed. "However, it shouldn't be surprising since Vegeta-sama is the only one amongst the Gods of Destruction who has retained his power and abilities when he was a mortal, and who has greatly mastered the Secret of Self-Indulgence technique to such an extent. No God of Destruction is able to do that and use the forbidden technique as perfectly as he does. This power we are witnessing is his own power of destruction, and it has awakened due to his newfound resolve."

"I agree with Whis," Toppo said. "I remember this also happened when we first fought as mortals. His Saiyan origins, which gave him the ability to grow stronger each time he is brought to the edge, helped him master the forbidden technique easily. It was as if the Secret of Self-Indulgence technique was especially made for him."

"I second to that," Heles supported. "And I'm sure King Mu understands this as well."

"What do you emotionless bastards know about what it means to protect someone?! Don't you understand? When I have someone or something to protect, it makes me stronger than before!" Vegeta's voice resonated throughout the void. The null void began to crumble before the might of Vegeta's newfound power of destruction and resolve as he continues to unleash his might.

"He's still getting stronger!" gasped Eyre, the God of Creation of the Third Universe. Out of his awe, he began to rise to his feet. Then one by one, each Universe-level godly spectator rose from where they sat together. Their faces filled with astonishment, awe, and reverence. They never thought that someone who used to be a lowly mortal monkey-like warrior who became a God of Destruction would ever reach such a level of power in such a short amount of time.

"What is this guy? He's on par with the King of Nothingness! Is he even the same Vegeta we know?" Sidra gasped.

"What do you mean?" Whis asked. "I think you know the answer to your question well."

"Impossible! He is Vegeta Yonsei, right? How could he become this powerful?!" Liquir asked.

"Of course," Vegeta responded after finishing his power up. "I am Vegeta Yonsei, the Proud Prince of all Saiyans who has become the God of Destruction of the Seventh Universe!"

With that, King Mu began to clap his hands.

"Well done, Vegeta Yonsei," King Mu applauded. "This is what I'm looking for within the Destined Strong One. This fight is over."

"What?!" Vegeta protested. He wasn't even able to test this power out at all. Did King Mu just shit his pants out of terror at what Vegeta has unleashed?

No, that wasn't the case at all. King Mu got what he wanted from Vegeta now, and that was to test out the God of Destruction's power and how much control he had over it. If Vegeta couldn't control this power and became an actual threat just as what the Pond of Oracles showed, King Mu would have obliterated him here. Aside from that, contrary to what the other gods believed, it seems that Vegeta's relationship with the mortal woman known as Bulma Briefs did something good to him, turning the tables in his favor rather than making him a dangerous monster. It made him stronger and gave him a reason to fight. This was the warrior he wanted to see and he was satisfied with the result.

"You have proven yourself enough to me and everyone in here that you are indeed a powerful warrior god deserving of that title," King Mu explained. "For this, your punishment is lifted this one time. You may return to your Universe at peace. But remember, next time that you wish to execute an immortal, you must consult with the Multiverse-level deities first. Do not just decide on your own. If you do this disrespect next time, I will not give you another chance, do you understand?"

Shin, Kibito, Champa, and Fuwa all let out a sigh of relief, however, four out of the five remaining members of the Destroyer Mercenaries protested in disbelief.

"Even until now, he couldn't obliterate me. Was he holding back or was it because he didn't want to obliterate me at all?" Vegeta thought to himself. He clenched his teeth together, his eyes and jaw twitching due to his anger at that realization. Just like before, King Mu ended the fight and gave up, Vegeta felt like his pride was being insulted once again. He knew that King Mu was still holding back on him. Just how much power does this aggravating deity possess?!

Vegeta would normally charge blindly at King Mu for this disrespect, demanding that his opponent don't run away on him like this. But he held himself back, knowing that if he does that, then he might never get another lucky asspull and really be obliterated. He had also gotten what he wanted here and defended his ideals. This battle is over. Once he was able to regain his calm composure, he nodded and agreed to end this fight.

"Yes," Vegeta told him. "Thank you, Mu."

The surroundings shifted back to the meeting room within the King of All's Palace, and King Mu was gone. Once the King of Nothingness was out of sight, Vegeta descended to where Whis, Shin, and Kibito were. Champa, Fuwa, Vados, Toppo, Khai, Marcarita, Heles, Pell, and Sawa joined them while the others simply surrounded them and looked on. While they were talking about what Vegeta just did, the Destroyer Mercenaries decided to come over where Vegeta was talking to Champa. There was immediate tension as they approached Vegeta's group in a somewhat intimidating manner, causing everyone aside from Vegeta and Whis to back away. Yonshir saw this and immediately stepped in between Vegeta and the Destroyer Mercenaries, facing Khalua's group.

"Please don't make a scene here or we might upset the Kings of All and Nothingness," Yonshir pleaded them.

Bairee, the largest of the mercenary group, gritted his teeth together and was about to charge. Being a burly and extremely muscular man, he reminded Vegeta of his late Saiyan attendant when he was a mortal child, Nappa. Judging from his behavior, it seems that Bairee is a hot-headed individual. Quite contrary to his title as the Stone of Ruin, although that could be because of his physical appearance.

"So you are the God of Destruction of the Seventh Universe, Vegeta Yonsei," Kira said, "The Legendary Super Saiyan Prince who made a contract with the previous God of Destruction of his Universe in order to become one. Your reputation precedes you, and while it's true that you are indeed quite a good-looking man and that your presence is as intimidating and powerful as the rumors, I'm quite surprised to see that you're… this short."

That comment made Bairee and Cheongju laugh, which made the already scowling Vegeta seethe in fury at the insult.

"Don't underestimate his height. He may be small but he could definitely put up much of a fight," Dara told them.

"Ha! Really? What's up with that scowling face now? Are you angry? If you're angry, then why won't you attack us? I want to see what kind of monster obliterated Mago!" Bairee provoked.

However, Khalua, who looked like a young boy, stopped him with a simple gesture of his hand. "That's enough, Bairee. I think we have seen enough of that," then he turned his eyes to Vegeta. "I believe this is the first time we have met in person, Vegeta Yonsei, I am Khalua, the Supreme Throne, leader of the Destroyer Mercenaries. I'm sure you already heard about us."

Vegeta turned his intense gaze towards Khalua as he faced him. "Yeah," he responded with a haughty tone. "So you were the one who sent Mago into my Universe?"

"Yes, and I apologize for what she did. She is quite a reckless one, you see. I sent her to assist Lady Yonshir in her observations but she acted on her own despite how much I told her not to do so. You see, we also heard so many things about you and I'll be honest, it was hard for us to believe it at first. Not until we personally witnessed your capabilities here and heard that you obliterated one of our comrades who was an immortal just like us. If you managed to keep up against King Mu of all deities, then there's no wonder how you were able to obliterate Mago so easily.

"I understand now why you are favored so well in here. If that was anyone else, King Mu would never give them a second chance, especially when you have stolen a power and bypassed an authority that should only belong to him and no one else. I hope that you don't get overconfident with that though. Despite how much destructive power you possess, there are still abilities amongst the Multiverse-level deities which you won't be able to simply steal or copy. I wonder how you would deal with such powers."

"Is that supposed to be a challenge?" Vegeta asked.

Khalua simply smiled back at him. "Who knows? Maybe we can play together some time. You, me, Lady Yonshir… You wouldn't really know when one begins to shift your own reality and change your fate, or that of someone else."

With that warning, the Destroyer Mercenaries walked away. Vegeta eyed them with an angry glare before he turned around with a loud snort, powering down to his base form and suppressing his destructive urges and powers completely.

"Let's go home, Whis!" Vegeta ordered as he walked back to where his guide angel, Shin, and Kibito waited for him. Yonshir followed Vegeta without a word. With a single tap of Whis' angelic staff, they were back in the Planet of Darkness.

Yonshir glared at Vegeta and scolded him, "I already told you not to stir up trouble, especially against the higher gods! Are you crazy?! Do you want to disrupt the balance of your Universe?!"

Vegeta gazed back at her coldly, "Don't pretend that you didn't know anything about this, Yonshir. I believe that whatever observations and reports you sent these higher gods could be the reason why that bastard sent Mago and why she acted on her own."

"So it's my fault now? After you deliberately ignored my warnings to you?! It was you who kept on defying your orders! You continued to associate yourself with Bulma, despite knowing the consequences! Now you brought danger into the Seventh Universe because of your stubbornness! I only did my duties because I had foreseen this right from the start!"

"What did you foresee then? Be more specific! What exactly is the reason why you and the higher gods are so persistent to destroy Bulma Briefs? Like I said before, she is no threat to you. She is only a mere, powerless human. What is there with her that you are so worked up about?"

Yonshir sighed, annoyed. "Fine, I will tell you why the mortal woman should be destroyed. You are right, it's not because she is a threat to any of us. She is nothing but a weak, useless, mortal woman. However, there was one thing about her that's dangerous and places the balance of the Universe in great danger."

"And that is?"

"It's the way you feel about her. Your forbidden relationship with her, those feelings you developed for her. All these things are a threat to all of us."

"What the hell are you trying to say? So what if I have feelings for a mortal woman? Why is it any concern of yours what I do or feel about a mere human?"

"You know well that your emotions could become your greatest downfall. Yes, you may have discovered that a desire to protect others could become your source of power. However, your feelings are like a double-edged sword. It could also cause you to become weak and susceptible to manipulation or emotional outbursts. Sooner or later, because of you, Bulma Briefs is going to suffer and die, just as she did in her first life. When that happens, what are you going to do? Are you going to repeat what you did 1,239 years ago? Or possibly do something even worse than that? Are you going to lose control once again and destroy everything this time just because you didn't get what you want? With the Secret of Self-Indulgence technique and your level of ability right now and in the near future, you will be capable of completely disrupting the balance of your own Universe, and once that happens, the entire Multiverse could be affected. Do you understand now why you need to destroy Bulma Briefs?"

Vegeta let out a creepy smile as he crossed his arms over his chest, "So it's just as I thought. No wonder why you seem so afraid of me."

Yonshir gave him an odd stare, "What are you saying?"

"I already told you that you were being obvious. You are afraid of me. The way you bastards reacted when I unleashed my full power while I was fighting Mu was proof enough for me earlier. Everyone sees me as the threat. Isn't that right?"

"..." Yonshir lowered her eyes, hesitating.

"Right?" Vegeta asked her once again.

Yonshir sighed. She guessed she couldn't lie to him anymore. "Since when did you know?" she asked.

"I was beginning to suspect something since you came here. I know that you multiverse-level deities are up to something, and considering that you are a clairvoyant, I know that you may have foreseen something. Daishinkan summoned Whis alone. After that, Whis suddenly told me about the order for me to destroy Bulma. When I refused, you were so mad at me, you were so persistent about wanting me to proceed with the order. I also considered the times when Whis pointed out about how I was losing control of myself whenever I delved into the mindset of a destroyer as required by the Secret of Self-Indulgence technique. It was then I immediately realized that your problem has something to do with me and not Bulma at all. When I asked you about this, you couldn't even answer my questions truthfully. When my repressed memories returned, I finally understood everything. Like I always say, don't underestimate my perceptions. I am not a fool, Yonshir. And because of that, I will not destroy Bulma Briefs."

"Are you out of your mind?! Are you really going to disrupt the balance of your Universe?!" Yonshir sneered at him.

"I will not let that happen either. You see me as the threat here. Is that why you wanted me to destroy Bulma so you can prevent me from losing control if she gets killed? That's bullshit! Who do you think I am?! How dare you underestimate my level of control?! I have been trained to keep my bloodlust and destructive power under control! I never had any problem with that until those voices forced me to do so! Now that those voices are gone, I know I am in total control of myself! I am first and foremost the Prince of all Saiyans, a Proud warrior who has become a God of Destruction of this Universe! But I will be different from the rest of the Gods of Destruction as I was different from the Saiyans! I will fulfill my duty as a destroyer god, but I will fight and use my powers of destruction according to how I want to use it! If I must destroy in order to protect my Universe and keep its balance, I will do it without hesitation! But I will have to see it as a real threat first before I decide. I will not destroy the weak and the innocent who don't pose any threat or danger to me or my Universe! I am different from who and what I was 1,239 years ago! Don't underestimate me!"

With that, Vegeta turned away from Yonshir and sauntered to where Whis stood. "Take me back to Earth, Whis. I wasted too much time on this crap," he ordered.

"Where do you think you're going? Don't tell me you're going to see her again!" Yonshir demanded.

"Mind your own business, Yonshir! Leave me alone! And don't try to do anything to interfere," he warned.

Whis let out an exasperated breath. "As you wish, milord. I will take you to Earth now," he said. He grabbed Vegeta by his wrist as if to stop him from doing more harm than necessary, "I will return to you after I send Vegeta-sama to Earth, Yonshir-sama," he bowed before he blasted off into the stars with Vegeta in his hand.

For the entirety of their trip to Earth, Vegeta and Whis were both silent. Whis kept on glancing over the God of Destruction, noticing his serious mood.

"Shouldn't you be a little more enthusiastic about seeing Bulma-san tonight, milord?" Whis suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

Vegeta raised his dark eyes to his guide angel and answered, "I know," with a grim tone and a forced smile.

They both stopped a few thousand miles away from the Earth, near the said planet's moon where they could see the small but beautiful blue and green planet right before their eyes. Whis turned around to face his lord.

"Don't worry about Lady Yonshir. I will try to explain to her everything while you're gone," Whis assured him.

"Alright…"

"After you spend your time with Bulma-san tonight, let's talk about what happened. For now, I need you to forget about everything that occurred today and enjoy this evening with her. Make it up with her, apologize for hurting her, and tell her the truth to her from now on. All this time, she was trying to understand you and I believe you should help her with that. If you do that, I know that you will feel a lot better."

Vegeta nodded back to his angel. "Thank you," he said. "For everything, Whis. And I'm sorry for not listening to you much earlier. You were right all along."

"I told you that whatever your decision is, I will gladly support you in it," Whis told him. "I have always believed in you. So remove any doubts you have in your mind and believe in yourself, alright? Remember what Heles-sama told you."

"Yes."

"Now then, how would you like a change of fresh Earthling clothes?" Whis offered.

Vegeta was in front of Bulma's apartment door, donning a neat, long-sleeved, slim-fit, black formal business polo shirt tucked in under gray-colored slacks adorned with a brown leather belt. He stood there for quite some time, contemplating to himself and fidgeting for a bit. It was as if he was nervous, yet also excited at the same time. He put his arms behind his back, one hand grasping at a handful of squash blossoms he picked up on his way.

He straightened up his back, summoning his usual confidence, inwardly telling himself that this is nothing to be afraid about. Repeatedly reminding himself who and what he is, and that he wasn't some stupid coward. He cleared his throat, before he pressed the doorbell.

However, before he could put his index finger on the button of the doorbell, the front door suddenly flew open and Bulma came out, welcoming him with a wide and bright smile, "You're here–oof!"

Bulma immediately flinched as she quickly took a step back after Vegeta just smashed the 'bouquet' of squash blossoms right into her face. Bulma was about to yell back at him but wasn't able to when she saw him looking away from her like a shy, little boy while still holding out his flowers to her.

Stunned, Bulma simply stared at him for a few moments without taking the flowers, inwardly thinking to herself, "What is this?",which caused Vegeta to finally turn his head to her.

When Vegeta noticed that she wasn't making a move to take the flowers, his mood quickly changed from shy to annoyed, "Are you going to take these or not?! I don't have the entire night to hold these out for you!" he growled, pushing the flowers in front of her, demanding her to take it away from his hands immediately without any complaints.

Bulma finally relaxed as she took the flowers from his hand and she giggled in amusement, "Are these squash blossoms? Are you that concerned about my health now that you decide to give me some vegetables? Or was it to remind me that your name is associated with vegetables?"

Vegeta simply scowled back at her.

"Seeing you frown like that makes me think you're hungry. Why don't you come in and let's eat dinner together?" Bulma invited. "Just give me a few moments to make a salad out of these, alright?"

Vegeta nodded and entered Bulma's small apartment, his scowl lightening up into an amused smile as soon as she turned her back on him.

"What's with all this food?" he asked when he saw the dining table filled with a sumptuous feast. There was Hototay soup, steamed Har gow, roast beef with mushroom gravy, pork belly barbecue, ham, a pot of Yang Chow Fried Rice, spaghetti, pizza, and an entire plate of his favorite Maguro Nigiri. His mouth immediately watered when he saw the food she especially prepared for him tonight.

"I haven't thanked you for the many times you have saved my life, plus, I had to make up for how I misunderstood you, so I thought that preparing you a feast is a good way to get your graces," Bulma answered.

He smirked, "Another peace offering, huh?"

"You could say that. You can also call it a thanksgiving offering to you."

"I see. I'll accept it, then." Vegeta told her.

While Bulma was preparing the salad, Vegeta walked around her apartment.

"Your place truly is tiny without the extension to my castle," he commented with a chuckle.

"Yeah, when you left, this place suddenly felt lonely and small. I felt like I was living in a mansion when you and Whis were here," Bulma agreed as she sauntered towards the dining table to put the bowl of squash blossom, avocado, and buttered lettuce salad.

"Hmm… Don't worry though. We may return some time later. For now, I'll spend my night here with you."

"Come and sit here and let's eat," Bulma told him

"Hn," Vegeta nodded as he sat down in front of Bulma. They began to dine together. For Bulma, it felt like they were on a date as she watched him eat her cooking.

"How was it?" she asked after he took a sip of Hototay soup from his small soup bowl.

"It's–" Vegeta replied with a hesitant pause, before he continued, "It's adequate."

Seeing that he wasn't eating the enthusiastic way he usually does, Bulma pouted, "Why does it sound like you're lying to me?"

She took her spoon to take a sip on her own bowl of soup. She made a disgusted look, "Oh shoot…" she cursed with a sneer and then began to mumble to herself.

"That doesn't taste right. What did I forget? I know I followed the instructions on the recipe…"

She quickly looked up to Vegeta and waved her hand at him. "Hey, please don't destroy the Earth because of this," she pleaded with a sheepish and nervous smile, remembering the time when Vegeta said he destroyed a few planets after not liking the food its inhabitants offered him their hopes of appeasing his wrath.

Vegeta laughed at that. Bulma stared at him in astonishment. This was the first time she heard him laugh like that. It was a genuine laughter, unlike his usually mad, deranged cackle filled with sarcasm, sadism, or malice. This one sounded like he was truly happy, like he was having fun, as if he just decided to simply relax and unwind for once. It was as if he was free. Bulma found that she liked that and wished she could see more of it.

"Since you are aware of that, why do you still want me to come back here? Are you really a fool to welcome the feared destroyer god back into your world, even after witnessing what I could do, after I tried to destroy you and this planet?" Vegeta asked her.

"Why? I thought I already told you. I love you. I want to be with you. I want you to be in my life," Bulma answered. "But your pride, your ego… It blinds you so much that you refuse to accept that. You tried to push me away so many times, especially whenever you realize that you're slowly opening up to me. You did a lot of terrible things just to show me what kind of monster you truly are, and just because one time I had enough of trying to understand you, you left me without knowing if you're going to come back to destroy us all or not. After what you said that night, I wondered what I could have done to make you feel that upset with me. I asked myself if it was because I was constantly teasing you about your feelings, if I finally got on your nerves so much because of my assumptions and that it was affecting you on some sort of level.

"Whis told me everything, and I even witnessed you suffer because of it. I didn't know that what I was doing would affect you that much. I'm sorry I didn't know. Still, I was hurt that you still tried to kill me back there instead of just telling me outright what your problem was. It felt like the time and effort I spent with you didn't matter to you at all.

"But when I think about how you hesitated back there, I couldn't help but think, that perhaps… You were angry because I tried to change you. I am beginning to understand you now. The reason why you're trying your best to resist or deny me. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about that anymore," Vegeta told her. His eyes moved downwards as if to avoid looking at her. He shrugged his shoulders, while his jaw twitched for quite some time and his lips curved down into a pouty frown as if he was hesitating, then his eyes shifted to the side as he cleared his throat and shrugged his shoulders once more. Suddenly, his cheeks flushed, turning red as he mumbled in a low voice Bulma could barely hear him at all. "And… And… I'm sorry about that, too…"

"So cute!" Bulma squealed in her thoughts, which caught Vegeta by surprise after hearing that. He quickly looked back at her, staring at her expression as she tried to stop herself from laughing. It was a funny look.

When Bulma realized that he must have read her thoughts as if she said that out loud, she finally let out a hearty laugh.

"What? It's true," Bulma pointed out to him.

She half expected him to throw his utensils on the table and yell at her so she mentally prepared herself for that outburst, but surprisingly enough, he simply returned to eating his food as if nothing happened. Bulma's laughter died down as she wondered, "Wow, that's quite a change."

She smiled to herself. She could still see him scowling but he decided to simply not say anything about it. At least, they're doing well now. They're together again, and she hoped it would become better than before from now on.

He raised his dark eyes to look at her, "Hey, why aren't you eating? Don't tell me you don't like how your cooking turned out?" he asked before he laughed at her once more.

Bulma laughed back as she returned to eat her food with him. It was quiet between them for quite some time after that.

After several minutes, Bulma decided to break the silence. "I have a lot of questions in my mind right now. Is it alright to ask them now?"

"Is that why you offered me such a meal? To bait me into answering those questions of yours?" Vegeta asked with a mocking tone.

Bulma laughed, "Aww, come on, you know it's not like that."

Vegeta put his utensils down and leaned back to the back of his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine, ask away. I'll give you a special limited time to ask as many questions as you like, but I don't promise to answer all of them."

Bulma grinned back at him, "Yay! Thank you."

He nodded, silently telling her to proceed with her first question.

"Last time you left, you said that you didn't want to see me anymore. Why did you still come to save me when you wanted me to be destroyed?" she interrogated.

"It's because I heard you," he answered honestly.

"Wow," Bulma was shocked to hear him respond with a real answer instead of avoiding it or outright telling her that it was none of her business. She began to wonder now if there was something she put in his food that made him suddenly open up to her like this.

"You heard me?" she repeated.

"Yeah. I heard you seeking for me to save you. I also heard everything that you thought about me. Mago sent a distraction so she could hunt for you. When her underling told me about what Mago was doing, I realized that I could no longer sense your ki… I was… terrified, and that was for the very first time."

"Were you afraid because you're going to lose me?"

"No," Vegeta denied. "I already lost a lot of people throughout my entire existence so the pain of loss and grief meant nothing for me. People around me wither like dead flowers during autumn. That's just how it is for a God of Destruction. Anyone who associated with me will only end with either their death or destruction. What I was terrified about was the realization that no matter what I did, no matter how powerful I had become, I still won't be able to stop that fate from happening to you because I wasn't strong enough to do so.

"I tried pushing you away from me so you could continue to live as a normal human and enjoy what your life has to offer. I thought that if I leave you, that if I push you away from me or if I run away from you, I could preserve your life, protecting you from me. But at that moment when I couldn't sense your ki any longer, I began to feel fear. I thought that I only brought your life in greater danger without me by your side. You said that you wanted to be with me. I wanted to be with you, too, but I was afraid I didn't know what to do. If I fight and unleash my powers of destruction, I could easily destroy you. If I don't, Mago will use you as bait and still destroy you. No matter what I do, you are fated to be destroyed right there and it would prove just how weak and powerless I am to stop it. Then I heard you calling out to me, I heard your thoughts and prayer to me, then all that fear I felt at that moment dissipated as if it was destroyed. For the first time after 1,500 years of being a God of Destruction, my blood boiled like that of a battle-crazed Saiyan warrior again. It was as if I found myself after a long time of being lost in the darkness. And for that, I wanted to thank you."

"Why do you keep on saving me? You have been destroying mortal life for almost more than 1,500 years, so death and destruction doesn't really faze you that much. So why? Do I have something you see that you don't see in others?" she asked.

"Hmm…" Vegeta muttered, wondering if he should answer this one or not.

"Is that why you specifically chose me to decide the fate of the Earth? That woman… Mago, was it? She mentioned that the reason why you refused to destroy me was because I am the reincarnation of your first love. Is that true?"

Vegeta's demeanor quickly changed into a cold one. Bulma immediately knew she touched a subject he didn't wish to discuss and she expected him to retort, but…

"Yeah," Vegeta answered nonchalantly, much to her surprise.

Bulma was shocked. So it was true?! What was even more shocking was that he replied to it honestly when he could simply avoid the question or lie about it. "How? I mean– how did you know?"

"I didn't know," he cleared. "My memories were repressed for 1,239 years. I was only told about that by the King of Jigoku when I delivered a client's soul, and that's when the memories began to return. A Saiyan's mate is his last and final. We only care and love a single being until the day we die, that's why we form an unbreakable bond where we mark the souls of our mates with our own energy so that even in our next lives, we will meet each other again."

"Wow, talk about being loyal. I like that," Bulma giggled. "So, that answers the question why you said we were bonded by fate."

"Yeah, I clearly didn't know I've already made a bond with a mortal woman a long time ago, which turns out to be your previous life."

"So what was she like?"

He frowned. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious, that's all. Are we similar to each other?"

"Not a chance."

"Not fair."

"Time's up, now it's my turn to ask questions," Vegeta told her. "Why did you cry for me? You shed tears for me when I left you. Why?"

"Because I thought that I was going to lose you there. That you will never return to me."

"I still don't understand why you are afraid that the God of Destruction will never return."

"I thought that if I love you, that I will never lose anything, but at that time I was afraid, afraid of losing you. When you left me, I was afraid. I was terrified. I thought I was going to lose you forever. Then I realized that I can no longer live without you by my side. It hurts me to think that you may disappear from me one day. It hurts here," Bulma said, tapping at her chest closest to her heart. "I just want you to know that when you are gone, there will be one person remembering you in her heart, who will feel sad and lonely without you by her side. You too, you don't have to be alone. You have me now. Whis is also with you. If you only accept us in your life, you will see that not being alone isn't so bad."

"Alright," Vegeta told her. "Thank you, Bulma."

She smiled back at him.

"So about Mago… She told me that she has others behind her back. I'm sure they're angry about what happened to her," Bulma said.

"They sure are," Vegeta snorted.

"Really? Are there a lot of them like her? Do they also want to destroy me?"

Vegeta gave her a cocky grin, "Why? Are you afraid?"

Bulma nodded, "Yes."

Vegeta scoffed back at her, "Why would you be afraid? I am with you."

"I am not afraid of them," Bulma clarified. "I am afraid that I might lose you. I just want to be with you this way."

"If that is what you want, then I will do anything it takes to protect you. I will never allow anyone to take you away from me ever again. If anyone tries, I will destroy them all."

Bulma was touched by those words. She didn't know he could be this overprotective towards anyone. She hope she could help him in any way though, despite knowing that they're up against gods that were probably more powerful than a typical God of Destruction.

"Hey, Vegeta. I may not be a goddess or a super-powered being, but I will return that favor someday. I promise."

"Hmph! As if I would ever need it," Vegeta huffed haughtily at her. "You should be more worried about your own safety, but I guess you shouldn't be worried about that either for I won't let them anyways."

"I guess you're right about that," Bulma agreed with a chuckle. "But I will still try what I can. You are not alone in this fight. I will be with you, and Whis-san, of course."

Vegeta stared at Bulma, thinking, "Hmm… I always thought that this woman is useless to me, but she has some guts…"

"Fine, do what you want. Now, I don't know about you but I couldn't care less about a cold meal," he told her as he returned to eating his food.

"I can't believe him!" Yonshir sneered in annoyance as soon as she found Whis back. "Just how are you even guiding him, Whis?! You are well-aware that it is a taboo among the Gods of Destruction to form such attachments in the mortal world! You were supposed to be in a neutral position, controlling a God of Destruction's actions, and not tolerate his wrongdoings!"

"As far as I know, I am doing my duties properly, Yonshir-sama," Whis pointed out politely. "As you can see, Vegeta-sama is a very proud, stubborn, and uncontrollable man. Once he sets his mind to it, he won't listen to any advice or reason unless he deems it necessary or is humbled. Beerus and I tried to change that attitude of his, but no matter what we do, we couldn't persuade him into letting go of his ideals and personal beliefs. He's his own, unique person and I actually admire that about him."

Yonshir understood and she let out a breath, her angry expression finally softening up.

"Oh well, I guess you're right about that," she agreed. "His pride is the biggest thing about him, and he won't back down no matter what, even if we tried to threaten him. But still, given his Saiyan origins and his cold and ruthless personality, I never expected him to develop such emotions which would allow him to be attached to a mortal."

"That is true," Whis concurred. "Ever since he opened up his heart to a mortal woman, he had been confused by a series of emotions he couldn't understand. You see, King Vegeta the Third raised him to become a proud Saiyan warrior, teaching him the meaning of pride and strength. Freeza helped mold him into a cold, ruthless warrior who had no qualms on using his powers to cause death and destruction against anyone. Beerus and I trained him to use these in order to become an effective God of Destruction and fulfill his duties properly. Nobody taught him the importance of understanding emotions and how to control them. All he knows is that emotions are a weakness as that is what he learned from his experience being a planet invader under the Freeza Force. As a result, he becomes easily upset, confused, and frustrated about what he feels for Bloomer and Bulma, and why he questions mortals who do unbelievable things caused by how they feel towards others. To him, emotions are a person's greatest weakness, and for a proud and strong warrior like him, it could cause his biggest downfall. It shouldn't bother him because he was the Saiyan Prince and a God of Destruction. He knows that his duties shouldn't be affected because of that, that's why he couldn't help but feel very upset.

"When I began to notice this, I tried to teach him by bringing him to Earth where I found Bloomers' reincarnation. I was hoping that when they met once again, she could help him understand a normal mortal perspective. How the people he considered as sentimental weaklings and useless in his eyes could make him learn that strength isn't the only thing that mattered in this world, that true strength doesn't necessarily mean one should be heartless and apathetic. However, I didn't expect him to develop romantic feelings towards Bulma-san at all. It was then my plan of teaching him began to fail. Vegeta-sama 's negative reaction to such feelings were completely unexpected. I failed to see that he had no idea what those feelings were and what it meant in the first place. Because of this, he wanted to push them away, thinking that it's not right for him to feel love, affection, concern, and worry for someone else. His doubts about right or wrong and his fierce desperation to reject those feelings led to the voices coming back to haunt him after so many years of being able to suppress them. I tried to fix what I could, but then I realized that it was already too late for that. His attraction towards Bulma Briefs grew to an extent where he began to care for her so much he didn't want to destroy her any longer and the thought of him losing her would only bring more danger than necessary. It was then that I weighed in the lesser of two evils, and decided to simply support him with what he wants."

"But why? A Saiyan from the Seventh Universe?" Yonshir breathed. "You would have thought that he is capable of feeling such emotions in the first place?"

"Vegeta-sama was always a unique case among the Saiyans. Yes, he was indeed the worst of the worst, unnecessarily colder and more ruthless compared to the rest of his people. Yet, despite his heart of stone and his high pride, deep inside, he always has a soft spot," Whis clarified. "He was no different from other mortals. He has his own flaws. He could feel as many emotions as others are capable of. But, all of these, he could use and make it a source of his own strength. This is what he learned throughout this journey. And we saw the result of that in his battle with King Mu just now."

After eating dinner, Vegeta and Bulma proceeded to watch a movie together while chomping down a bowl of popcorn, although it was obvious that all the time, Vegeta's attention was only focused on her. Halfway through the movie, Bulma leaned against his shoulder and fell asleep. Instead of pushing her off him, he wrapped his arms around her, laid down on the sofa, and pulled her closer so she was leaning her head on his chest. She visibly smiled to herself as she snuggled against him, feeling the warmth of his body and hearing his surprisingly relaxed breathing. He stared down at her, feeling her core of existence pulsing underneath his touch, but unlike other souls that react to his presence with terror, hers pulsed excitedly. It was as if her soul was glad to be with him like this. He stroked her blue hair with his fingers gently, smiling to himself as he silently watched her.

This human woman, as fragile and soft compared to him, gave him a reason to fight for. She gave back what he had lost when he became a God of Destruction. It was as if she had shed light in the darkness that was his cursed existence, and because of her, he learned a lot of things (of course with the help of Granolah, and other humans such as Jun Maeda as well). Although he had lost many things throughout this journey, including her first life, Vegeta swore that he would not lose her again as he did lost her in her first life. He would want her to live for as long as her human life could give her, with him by her side and doing his best to give her a happier, normal life (as normal as it could be, since being in a relationship and romantically involved with a God of Destruction isn't actually normal). He would do anything to protect her and her world no matter what, even if he had to go against the higher gods, fight against fate, or destroy reality itself.

He wrapped his arms around her, embracing her protectively, and planting a kiss on the top of her head. Then he rubbed her arms affectionately as he glared at the ceiling of her small apartment as if to tell whoever god was watching at them to back off, the woman is his, and if anyone dared touch her, he is more than willing to destroy anything just to keep her safe.

Yes, if he was the threat they immensely feared, then he would become that threat!

He remembered Khalua's last words to him back in the King of All's Palace, and began to wonder what he meant by that. Anyhow, he dares Khalua to make a move then he will show him what it means to incur his wrath.

His smirk gradually turned into a wicked smile.

When Bulma woke up two and a half hours later, she found that she was sleeping on top of Vegeta's chiseled chest. She quickly pulled away from him, panicking and questioning herself what just happened and how she fell asleep like that on him. She then looked down at him, and was surprised to see that he had fallen asleep as well.

"Hmm… That was surprising. I thought he said he hated sleeping next to me?" Bulma muttered to herself.

She smiled as she drew her face closer to his, observing the relaxed features of his sleeping face. He looked so good like this she could pass him up as a normal, gorgeous-looking guy next door and not the fearsome God of Destruction of this Universe. She remembered that first time she thought about him like that and realized that Whis telling her that Vegeta wasn't really that different from mortals because he was once a mortal himself, was right after all. She watched him for a while, thinking about how safe she felt whenever he was around, contrary to what other people may feel in his terrifying presence. Bulma always knew she had a knack of having crushes towards dangerous bad men, hence why she fell in love with her ex-boyfriend, Yamcha, in the first place. But she never imagined that she was meant to love the most feared and most dangerous being in the entire Universe, Vegeta Yonsei, the God of Destruction who is responsible for the death and devastation of all that exists in this world. Until now, she was baffled at the fact that he has enough power to destroy this Universe–two entire Universes in fact–and knowing the massive scale of the cosmos, she could only imagine how much destructive power he packed within that small, compact body of his.

As formidable and menacing Vegeta's sole presence was, she couldn't believe he was there beside her, sleeping on her couch like a typical human man.

"Yeah, I'm quite surprised about myself, too."

Bulma gasped as she was taken aback when he abruptly spoke to her like that. He fluttered his raven-colored eyes open to gaze at her.

"You should be thankful for how lucky you are that I allowed you to be on my side," he grinned mischievously.

"You're awake?" she realized, moving away from him.

Vegeta got up from the sofa and stretched his arms in the air, "Hm. I had to look after this Universe after all. Plus, it's almost time for the ritual. Someone might summon me anytime soon."

"Oh… I see. I guess you're leaving now. Thank you for being with me tonight, Vegeta," she said.

"Yeah, you better go back to bed. Who knows, maybe when you wake up this morning, your place will be bigger again."

"Alright, I will expect that. I'll see you and Whis-san when I wake up," Bulma told him.

Vegeta nodded back and pulled her close to him so he was embracing her, catching her by surprise. Bulma looked at his surprisingly warm eyes in wonder as he gently grabbed the sides of her head and pushed his lips against hers in a fervent, passionate kiss. Bulma was taken by shock by how it felt and she liked it. She raised her hand to caress his warm, red cheeks and deepened the kiss, their tongues meeting in the warmth if their mouths. Bulma moaned at the pleasurable feeling of his kiss as her fingers ran through the spikes of his hair and her other arm wrapping lovingly around his neck as he dominated and took control. He pushed her back to the sofa and pulled away from the kiss, chuckling at the sight of her looking back at him like she just got rejected.

"Don't get too excited about that, Bulma. That's just a sample," he told her. "We don't have time for that yet, I still have a job to do."

Bulma laughed awkwardly, "Ah, I know. I know. Go ahead and we can do this again another time," she winked.

He grinned impishly back at her and he turned to walk out of Bulma's door instead of simply jumping off the window like he usually does. Bulma then realized that for the first time, he called her by her name on his own without being forced to do so. His sudden nice behavior towards her the entire night left her utterly speechless and wondering what happened to him all of a sudden.

She couldn't say she didn't like that at all.

Once Vegeta was out of Bulma's apartment building, he leapt into the sky, unleashed his ki and blasted off into the Earth's atmosphere.

"Whis, I'm done here. Change my clothes back into my divine garment," he said. As he flew, he felt Whis' angelic powers overflow his body as his clothes magically transformed back into his God of Destruction outfit. He halted his flying when he met Whis outside the Earth.

"Welcome back, Vegeta-sama," Whis greeted him with a smile. "Done already? So how did it go?" he asked.

Vegeta grinned back at Whis, appearing to be satisfied. "I had fun tonight, Whis. Bulma and I are both good now. I can't remember the last time I laughed like that. I never felt so free to feel whatever I wanted without worrying about anything," he answered.

"That's good to hear, milord. I like that you're smiling this time. I'm glad to know that you enjoyed this night and finally made it up with Bulma-san."

Vegeta and Whis stared down on the Earth in silence for ten seconds.

"I long since thought that I had no such feelings inside of me. But she was right. It's nice not to be alone," Vegeta turned his head to look at his guide angel with a look of gratitude. "Thank you for always being with me, Whis."

"Of course, milord."

It was then that Vegeta started to reflect upon himself. He looked up into the stars and began to speak his thoughts,

"I always thought that being a God of Destruction is all about being evil and ruthless, that my powers were meant to destroy worlds and cause the misery and punishment of foolish mortals. I have always despised my duties. I lied to myself believing that I was enjoying such a power and glorious position, for I have become the most powerful being in the Universe. I thought that becoming the strongest would satisfy my Saiyan blood. I relished in that thought, even though there were times I felt that I ain't doing things right. I was once a Prince of a mighty warrior race, raised to carry the pride, honor, and glory of my people. I was taught to kill and destroy my enemies in battle, not just anyone or anything that has nothing to do with me. When I became the God of Destruction, I had no idea what to do. All I know is that in order to keep the balance of my Universe, I had to keep destroying anything no matter what. It was because of that that I long since decided that the Proud Saiyan Prince who I used to be was gone.

"Since when have I become so twisted? Was it really due to my hate and bitterness about my fate? I made that wish to become the most powerful being in the Universe, that's why I became a God of Destruction. I chose this path myself. But then, one day, I woke up in my bed and realized that becoming the most powerful being is such a cursed existence. It was something I couldn't escape. All I could ever do is to keep on destroying no matter what, even if I didn't wish to.

"Mortals despised me. They feared me, cursed at me, for I was the cause of their misery. I heard everything they thought about me and I am forced to take it all in. It made me hate the mortals for always reminding me how much I loathed being in this position. But, I never would have thought that someone would appreciate my presence at all. They made me realize that the power of destruction I held could also bring the justice they seek, the protection they need, some sort of comfort from their pain, and an end to their sufferings."

A pleased smile stretched across Vegeta's lips as he continued, "I felt so relieved at that. I was glad to know that I can still exist like I'm still the same Saiyan Warrior that I originally was. It was then I realized that becoming a God of Destruction wasn't so bad after all, that I can still be who and what I truly am as the Proud Prince of all Saiyans and the God of Destruction of the Seventh Universe! I am Vegeta the Fourth!"

Then he turned to face his guide angel, his eyes lit up with fervent determination.

"It is time for me to stop deceiving myself for believing the things that I am not and start to accept who and what I truly am. My true self! As the Proud Saiyan Prince and the God of Destruction of the Seventh Universe, I must fight this battle as my true self! Possessing the divine powers of destruction and the pride of the mightiest warrior race this Universe had ever seen, I will use it to destroy everything in this rotten world and bring about a change that's long been awaited. A change in the mantle of being a God of Destruction!

"I swear I will change everything, Whis! You will see!" he declared.

Whis gazed down at his master in awe. He was amazed because for the first time, one of the visions Yogengyo showed him 1,527 years ago has been fulfilled. Here, right in front of him, the Saiyan of the prophecy, the Destined Strong One, who was destined to become the strongest among all, who shall change the multiverse and control its fate declares his newfound resolve.

This is the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy!

Whis smiled warmly back at him, "I look forward to seeing what you will do, milord."

They proceeded to meet their next client after that.

Meanwhile, somewhere along the coastline of Lacco Village in the Southeastern portion of the Earth, police, rescuers, and bystanders gathered as news spread amongst the townsfolk that five corpses of fishermen were found across the shore. The rescuers retrieved the bodies in black bags to take into funeral homes where they await family members who will claim the cadavers of the victims. On the other hand, the police investigators search for clues. They collected the identification cards of the dead men in hopes of learning where they came from, and what they found greatly mystified them all.

All of them were from Magus Island, a place known to many within the Lacco Village and its nearby states through urban legends as being just a mythical island, which is said to appear every 350 years in the middle of the Gandala Sea. Though it is believed by many as only being just an urban legend, in reality, the place doesn't really exist.

So, where did these men actually come from?