"Who's this?" Bulma asked curiously as she approached Vegeta. The God of Destruction turned to Tajibe and found the child-like deity's odd expression.
Tajibe turned his eyes to look back at Vegeta while Whis introduced him to Bulma, "His name is Tajibe Sadal. He's a multiverse-level deity who will be staying with us for a while because he will be training Vegeta-sama for—."
"Enough, Whis. That is none of her business. Knowing my name is enough for a low-level mortal like her," Tajibe interrupted coldly. He was now visibly annoyed, which made Bulma and Vegeta confused. "How about you? What is a mortal woman doing in the dwelling of a God of Destruction? Explain this, Vegeta Yonsei."
"Why? Because I let her in," Vegeta replied. "She's been in here for quite some time. I'm surprised you haven't heard but this woman is—."
Vegeta was cut off by an intimidating glare from Tajibe's portentous golden eyes.
"You said you let her in? What exactly is she to you?" Tajibe asked him coldly, a tone of simmering rage.
Vegeta's face quickly went red, "She's—"
Tajibe crossed his arms as he waited for him to finish his sentence but Vegeta kept on stammering like a fool who couldn't speak in his eyes.
"—What's it to you?! Anyways, if you dare to disrespect her one more time, I'll make sure I will make you pay for it in one way or another!" Vegeta finally snapped.
Tajibe shook his head in disappointment.
"Now I'm beginning to understand everything," Tajibe muttered. "The reason why a God of Destruction such as yourself has become undeniably weaker than what you're originally supposed to be."
Chapter 46: The Heartless Tajibe Sadal
The air in the dining hall within the God of Destruction's Castle hung thick with the scent of incense and dread. The obsidian table, polished to a mirror sheen, reflected only the fractured shadows cast by the crystal chandeliers, their dim glow a mockery of the celestial light beyond. It was a place designed for silent judgment, where even the faintest sound echoed with an unnerving clarity. Vegeta picked at his meal, the movement mechanical, his usual bravado replaced with an almost agonizing restraint. His fork clinked softly against his plate, each note a tiny tremor in the heavy silence.
Across the table, Tajibe sat like a sculpted nightmare, his golden eyes like a pair of twin suns burning with an ironic cold intensity. He was a specter of a god, a divine predator observing his prey. Even his breathing seemed calculated, a measured exchange of air, a reminder of the vast power that lay dormant beneath his petite, child-like frame.
Bulma shifted in her seat uneasily, her turquoise-colored hair like a bolt of lightning against the dark grandeur of the room. Her sapphire-blue eyes darted between Tajibe and Vegeta, her worry radiating outward like heat. Whis, ever the silent observer, sipped his tea with an air of practiced nonchalance. His lavender eyes, however, betrayed him, shifting subtly, reflecting the tension that crackled between the two gods like static electricity.
Bulma's voice, when she finally broke the silence, was sharp and demanding, "Hey, what did you mean by 'he's become undeniably weaker'? What did you understand?"
Vegeta choked on his food, the chopsticks trembling in his fingers as the piece of Maguro Nigiri he just spit out dribbled down his chin, staining the pristine white table cloth. Whis was at his side in an instant, offering a silk napkin and a fresh glass of water with a smile that bordered on pity. Vegeta quickly took Whis' offer and cleaned himself up.
Tajibe's icy gaze shifted from the still coughing Vegeta to the furious Bulma, slow and deliberate, like a predator sizing up its prey. "Your mortal theatrics bore me," he said, his voice a cold wind, a whisper of impending doom. "State your business and be gone. The God of Destruction has no time for...distractions."
His eyes lingered on Bulma, a subtle mockery in their gaze, a reminder of the divine law that forbade attachments, a law Vegeta seemed to be flagrantly ignoring.
Bulma shot to her feet, her chair screeching against the stone floor. She glared at Tajibe, her anger palpable, "What did you say?! Distractions?! You think I went all the way here just to—?!"
"Bulma," Vegeta snapped, slamming his chopsticks down on the table. "Enough."
"No, you enough!" Tajibe snarled, rising with a fluid grace, his red cloak swirling around him like a living shadow. He pointed a finger at Vegeta, his voice dripping with venom. "You parade this creature into sacred halls of a destroyer god, let her shriek like a harpy at your table...do you even remember what you are? Or has she reduced you into a simpering fool?"
Vegeta's knuckles whitened at his fists lay on the table. For a heartbeat, a flicker of violet aura pulsed through the room— raw, untamed energy of destruction, a storm brewing beneath his composure.
But Vegeta's intimidation failed to make Tajibe feel terrified. The Great Sage Flaming Pride of Heaven simply stared at him with a raised eyebrow, mocking his audacity to frighten him. Vegeta grinded his teeth together when he realized that his plans of threatening Tajibe wasn't even working at all, like how he usually did with the other Multiverse-level gods.
Just what's with this brat?!
With a sharp exhale, Vegeta calmed the tempest within. He turned to Bulma and said with a low growl, "Say what you came to say. Quickly."
Bulma stood, her anger fueling her defiance, "About your actions on Magus Island… I just want you to know that I'm utterly devastated by what you did to that newborn baby."
Vegeta blinked his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
"Is that all? Did you come all the way in here just to criticize me again for doing my job?" he asked.
"By driving a goddamn energy blade through his heart?! That didn't seem like you were doing your job to me, Vegeta! You were provoking a baby to show its power and fight you!"
"I'm merely testing if the bastard was indeed a threat to my Universe or not," Vegeta countered, his voice hardening. "But since he clearly showed no signs of his supposedly ominous abilities yet, I gave him a chance to live until he is able to use his full potential so he could have a chance to fight back before I destroy him completely. You know that the damn brat is the Orochi's reincarnation, right?"
"I know that. But the fact that you're doing it when he's still a harmless baby isn't acceptable!"
"After he murdered his own mother right before your very eyes, you think he's still a harmless baby?!"
"You tortured him and cursed him with a miserable life. You planted a seed of hatred in his young heart so that one day, he would find you and take revenge on you. Seriously, Vegeta?! Are you crazy?! I'm not just worried about that child, but for you too! And this Universe as well! I fear that this recklessness of yours could lead to greater danger!"
Vegeta sighed, his shoulders slumping, "Yeah, yeah," he mumbled. "Of course, it is. Because of my recklessness, the Second Great Heavenly War is now about to happen. And things are about to get exciting!"
"Exciting?! What?!" Bulma gasped in disbelief. She slapped a hand to her face, "Ugh... I can't believe you!"
Bulma let out an exasperated groan as she dropped back to her seat. She couldn't understand this part of him at all.
Vegeta blinked at her in confusion, wondering why she was being like this all of a sudden. He always thought that Earthlings were weird. He couldn't understand what's making her so mad about what he did on Magus Island.
Like she always does with any other decision he's made...
"You don't need to worry about that, Bulma. Everything's going to be fine. I will be training hard and relentlessly for this, and I will protect you and the Seventh Universe with all I got," he assured her.
Tajibe sneered, his disdain obvious, Vegeta noticed this and he scowled.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Vegeta demanded.
"Nothing," Tajibe responded nonchalantly with a bored look. "Are you done? If not, would you hurry up? You waste too much time on this stupid drivel."
Vegeta turned his attention back to his girlfriend, "Look, Bulma. I know it's upsetting for you to have witnessed me doing that. But know that the brat is not an ordinary child who deserves your sympathy, nor anyone else's. Have you forgotten what I told you in that cave back on Magus Island? Worry not about it. I will take care of everything when the time comes. Believe in me."
Bulma, her face etched with worry, couldn't help but have doubts. A Second Great Heavenly War? Even if Vegeta was indeed prophesied and destined to fight against the Orochi's reincarnation, she had a nagging fear that the past might repeat itself, leading to another doomed fate for the both of them. She knew they promised each other that they would do anything to prevent that from happening again, yet here she was, feeling the weight of her own mortal weakness and depending on him to protect her and their world.
Can she really trust him to do that? After what she had witnessed him become that out-of-control monster back in Magus Island.
Vegeta tilted his head slightly, hearing her thoughts. The fear she had upon realizing that Vegeta's slowly losing himself in his own Self-Indulgence broke his heart. He turned away, only to see Tajibe gazing at him intently as if he was also observing what Bulma was thinking through his own thoughts.
"About that... I'm sure there is a way for us to prevent that from happening again. That's why I'm going to train hard in order to keep that power in check, right, Tajibe-sama?" Vegeta assured her once again.
Vegeta turned his eyes to Tajibe, silently asking him to agree. Tajibe rolled his eyes off him and turned away. Vegeta tried kicking Tajibe's leg underneath the table in his hopes of getting his attention but Tajibe swiftly dodged and kicked him back, causing Vegeta to yelp and hiss in agony as he shook his leg where Tajibe kicked at his left calf.
Vegeta gave Tajibe a furious gaze while he pulled his lips from his bared teeth as he hissed silently, "Why the fuck did you do that for, you little rascal?!" while Tajibe feigned ignorance as he picked up his pair of chopsticks and put a piece of Maguro Nigiri in his mouth as he mocked him telekinetically.
"You idiooooooot," Tajibe taunted back telekinetically, which caused Vegeta to become more indignant, looking like he was a red bull spewing hot breaths through his flaring nostrils.
"What did you just call me?!" the God of Destruction snarled furiously.
"I just called you an idiot, a fool, an ignorant, brainless, gutless, pathetic weakling—."
"I swear when I get stronger than you, I will pull all of your organs out of that tiny body of yours and laugh while I slowly obliterate your existence!"
"I can't wait until you realize that you cannot do that."
"And what makes you think I won't be able to do that?!"
Bulma and Whis watched at their seemingly silent childish banter in utter disgust, finding the supposedly furious expressions Vegeta was making hilarious and odd at the same time.
"Fine," she finally relented with a sigh, her voice strained as she finally cut the quiet banter of the two deities before they could start obliterating each other. "But you better train as hard as you can and prepare yourself for this war so you can win. I'll be waiting here, okay? I'll try to find a way to support you as much as I can."
Vegeta's angry expression quickly melted and he turned to her direction, and nodded at her with what Bulma thinks was a cute puppy-like look. She stifled her laughter at that adorable face and he quickly flustered when he heard what she thought of him. He wished he could show her some of his determination as a form of his assurance to her that he will be doing his best instead, if not for Tajibe making him look pathetic and embarrassing in front of her instead.
After dinner, Tajibe and Vegeta entered the Sacred Space of Spirit and Time. The air crackled with raw energy, the silence of the infinite cosmos pressing in on them. The space itself was an echo of the god's power, a tapestry of chaotic beauty, where time and space twisted and turned in a dance of pure energy.
"What you told your woman earlier in the dining hall was so cringe I could have laughed," Tajibe said, his voice a cold echo. "To tell you the truth, you made yourself a perfect laughingstock for the deities. Your words and actions do not befit someone in the God of Destruction position like yourself.
"They make you predictable. Every foe you face will target her. Every weakness you deny will fester in her shadow. Yonshir warned you: To wield destruction, you must become it. No attachments. No mercy. No… her. A God of Destruction isn't supposed to feel or have attachments towards anything in the mortal world. Such things are considered a vulnerability to a deity's divine power, especially that of a Hakaishin, who is tasked to be the harbinger of death and destruction to everything in his given Universe. Given that you said you let her, a mortal woman, into your life would mean that you made that forbidden attachment. Not only did you break the divine law of the gods, but you have also created your own vulnerability in your supposedly omnipotent role."
"That's not true," Vegeta answered, his voice tight. "I have proven time and time again how wrong that was."
"Your feelings are a double-edged sword to your Secret of Self-Indulgence ability. Your desire to protect her may have given you the motivation to push your powers to greater heights using that technique, but you just haven't seen its vulnerability yet, Vegeta. The Secret of Self-Indulgence isn't as all-powerful as you think it is. It has its flaws and your reliance on it and your attachment to this mortal will become your emotional weakness, and these will become your downfall…
"As this Universe's God of Destruction, you must eliminate all distractions without any doubt or hesitation. Your duty as a destroyer deity shall always come first and foremost. Your responsibility must be your priority at all times. You defied this rule many times, haven't you? And while you were able to overcome all of the problems you created due to your negligence, there will come a day when you will regret not doing your job when you had the chance. And I'm telling you right now, whatever you feel for that mortal woman, forget it, cut your attachments to her, break that bond, before it's too late for you to realize that she has made you vulnerable in this war.
"If you refuse to do such a thing, then I will do it myself. I will destroy her existence before this could escalate into a greater problem I have to deal with—."
"—No!" Vegeta roared, his voice filled with fury.
"No?" Tajibe glared at him, a dangerous glint in his eyes. It made the fearless Vegeta feel a flicker of fear in his supposedly hardened heart.
"I mean…" the suddenly timid God of Destruction hesitated. "Like I told Yonshir before, Bulma isn't the problem here. She is a mere mortal woman who holds no such power the gods should be wary about. I know that the problem is with me. I realized this during our battle in the King of All's Palace. Let her go and give me a chance to change this."
"You dare to give me commands, Vegeta Yonsei? How brash of you," Tajibe said, his voice dripping with disdain.
"Leave Bulma out of this, please. I'll do my best in your training," Vegeta pleaded, his voice softening.
"Then can you break that bond you formed with her? Will you stay away from her?"
"I—"
"You can't do that either, can you?"
"…"
"Then let's have a deal," Tajibe offered, a smirk playing on his lips. "We spar here once again. Don't hold anything back, Vegeta. If you managed to break my mask in ten seconds, then I might reconsider my decision. However, if you fail to do this, then you better not stop me from eliminating her existence."
Ten seconds?! That's impossible! Vegeta thought.
"So, do you agree or are you going to chicken out on this challenge?" Tajibe asked him with a devious smile.
Vegeta scowled back, gazing at Tajibe with doubt and uncertainty. He knew that despite his increase in power after his defeat in their first battle and with his Secret of Self-Indulgence ability, these still weren't enough for him to do as Tajibe required. He balled his fists on his side, not realizing that he was trembling once again, just like before.
He knew that he wasn't capable of doing that, and yet, he relish the challenge. He'd rather do his best breaking this brat's mask than just give up and allow Tajibe to destroy his beloved Bulma.
"I'll do it," Vegeta told him, his voice firm, his resolve hardening.
Tajibe smirked, a cruel gleam in his eyes. He held up his hand, the Menka Seikuyo magically materializing between his fingers. Then he put on the white mask over his face and beckoned Vegeta to come and attack him.
Sadly, within those ten seconds though, Vegeta failed to even touch Tajibe's mask. Each and every attack he made were only effortlessly blocked or dodged. With each passing second, each assault became more desperate. Even if he used the power of the Secret of Self-Indulgence: Ultra Ego technique, transformed into his Primal Self-Indulgence form, all his charges meant nothing to the Great Sage Flaming Pride of Heaven's great defenses and mastery of the Secret of the Self-Centered: Ultra Instinct technique.
Tajibe was a whirlwind of motion, a god of pure speed and power, moving with an ease that was almost unnerving. Vegeta, for all his strength and power, seemed to be fighting against an immovable object.
With a powerful push, Tajibe sent Vegeta backwards in the eleventh second, the God of Destruction stumbling against the reality, his face etched with defeat.
"You failed," Tajibe told him, his voice dripping with disdain.
Vegeta rose to his feet, a look of terror in his eyes. "No!"
"You can't do anything to stop me, Vegeta. Even in your most powerful form, you can't save or protect her. Your powers of Destruction would only bring her doom and misery. You are weak at this point. Your foolish emotions have made you vulnerable and unbecoming of a true God of Destruction and a warrior. That foolishness will cause your downfall in this upcoming war. I know it, and I've seen it. Believe me and accept that fact. If you wish to win against the Orochi, destroy her now, or I will destroy her myself if you refuse to do it. This is the only way for you to win."
"That isn't true!" Vegeta fiercely denied. "I've surpassed my limits because of her. She gave me a new reason to fight, a new reason to exist, and these made me stronger and allowed me to overcome each obstacle I faced! How could you call my love and hope chains and weights when you have no idea what it means to love and protect someone?!"
"If that's what you believe, then why is it that despite knowing that I will destroy her if you fail to break my mask, why couldn't you do it to save her from me?"
"I…" Vegeta was caught by the question, his bravado crumbling. "I don't know…" he muttered timidly, his eyes filled with fear and confusion.
"You don't know? Well then, I know exactly why," Tajibe said. "You think about meaningless things too much, especially her. Instead of focusing on what you should be doing, such as breaking my mask, or concentrating on destruction as a God of Destruction like you should be doing, you think about frivolous matters, such as worrying about her. You were not focused on destruction. You were focused on preservation. And preservation, Vegeta, is the antithesis of your purpose. Your love for Bulma has made you predictable, vulnerable. It has given your enemies a target, a weakness to exploit. The Orochi's reincarnation will use it against you, and in that moment, your precious Bulma will become your destruction."
Vegeta found himself struck with the most painful and terrifying reality as he stared at Tajibe, his jaw dropped while his expression was filled with sorrow and helplessness.
"Now do you see what I mean that she's becoming your vulnerability? Fix yourself, you desperate fool. I will eliminate Bulma before she becomes your ultimate destruction. This is not cruelty; it is a necessary sacrifice. Only then can you truly become the destroyer you are destined to be," Tajibe told him.
Vegeta's knees fell to the ground. His legs gave way under the weight of despair. The words were a brutal verdict, stripping away his carefully crafted facade of invincibility. He'd believed his love for Bulma to be a source of strength, a wellspring of power that had pushed him beyond his limits. Now, he saw it as a fatal flaw, a chain binding him to mortality and blinding him to the true nature of his duty.
Vegeta's anguished cry echoed through the timeless space, a desperate plea lost in the vast indifference of the cosmos. He had sought to protect the woman he loved, only to discover that his love, his very humanity, was his greatest vulnerability. The weight of his duty, the crushing reality of his failure, pressed down on him, leaving him broken, hollowed out, a god stripped bare. The impending war, once a thrilling prospect, now loomed as a terrifying certainty, a fate he would face alone, stripped of his shield and his hope, forever marked by the loss of the very thing that he had sought to protect.
Bulma paced across her studio-type apartment impatiently, upset about the newly-arrived god. Tajibe Sadal. What the hell was with that tiny brat? If Yonshir was already annoying enough, Tajibe was probably worse. One look at him, she could already tell how arrogant and condescending he is, like how most deities she met (especially Vegeta). If Vegeta wasn't enough of a headache for her, the gods he brought with him only added to the amount of trouble she had to deal with.
She couldn't help but worry about Vegeta too. It seems that Tajibe is in a higher position and power than him. Will he be alright training with that guy? She had a feeling that Tajibe was more stern and ruthless than Vegeta ever was.
Bulma abruptly sensed a burst of power and then a closed space appearing within her apartment, causing her to gasp. A bright light erupted from an empty space behind her, and a crack seemed to appear, growing bigger until it became a portal of sorts. From it, several blasts of energy erupted and surrounded her, before it formed into several energy binds that coiled around her body tightly. It wrapped around her arms, legs, body, and even her neck.
Bulma grunted in pain as the binds lifted her up in the air. "What the hell is this?" she gasped, fear and confusion twisting her words.
From the portal emerged Tajibe Sadal like he was the grim reaper because of his cloak. His appearance made Bulma's eyes widen in fear. In this angle, he looked very much like Vegeta back when he tried to kill her a few weeks ago.
Tajibe lifted his head up and stared at her with his cold, narrowed, and slanted golden eyes. Bulma realized that he does bear identical features to Vegeta for some reason.
"What are you doing?!" she demanded him, her voice shaking.
"I have come to destroy your existence, Bulma Briefs," Tajibe said, his voice as cold as the void. "And before you try and call for Vegeta Yonsei's help, I'll let you know that the God of Destruction of the Seventh Universe had agreed to this execution entirely."
"What?!" The pain of betrayal struck her. How could he agree to this? That's a lie, right? It can't be. Impossible. Vegeta would never…
"Nothing is more important to Vegeta but his strength. I only made him see how your existence had made him weak, distracted and vulnerable in ways that he failed to see himself before. When he realized the reason why the deities tried to prevent you both from being together, and how this bond you both shared together would eventually become his downfall, he finally agreed for me to eliminate your useless existence," Tajibe explained, his voice laced with malice.
Then he gritted his teeth together, as his seemingly earlier calm demeanor shifted into one that filled with rage. Bulma stared at him, his golden eyes were full of hatred, bitterness, and seething rage. His expression had turned eerily similar to Vegeta's when he indeed tried to kill her, but Tajibe was actually serious and more decisive in truly eliminating her existence here and now. His rage and his hatred were all focused and clearly directed at her as if she did something to him that's completely unforgivable by his judgment. It was as if Tajibe knew her at some point in his life and was angry at her about something she had no idea about.
"You have incurred the wrath of the Great Sage Flaming Pride of Heaven and now you shall receive divine punishment for your unforgivable sins. You have been judged and therefore, your existence shall be destroyed. Before creation, comes destruction. To keep the balance of this Universe, one must be destroyed for the creation of another to happen. Now, receive the consequences of your wrongful existence…"
Bulma gasped, feeling her core of existence pulse under the weight of Tajibe's power of destruction. How was this possible? Wasn't Vegeta the only one authorized to do this to those that existed within the Seventh Universe? Plus, the multiverse-level gods, aside from the former apprentices of the Gods of Destruction from the destroyed Thirteenth to Eighteenth Universes, the Destroyer Mercenaries like Mago, weren't supposed to deal with mortals. Unless Tajibe was a member of these mercenaries, he shouldn't be able to do this to her.
But Tajibe wasn't even a member of the Destroyer Mercenaries at all.
Plus, those words he uttered just now. That is similar to Vegeta's judgment catchphrase whenever he's about to bestow destruction to his targets.
And even the same action, Bulma observed while she watched Tajibe's golden eyes shifting color to a mauvish-crimson light as he raised his right hand towards her direction, his palm open.
"Destructio—!"
Tajibe was suddenly distracted when somebody slammed at him from behind. Vegeta emerged from the same portal, throwing himself into Tajibe and pushing him into the ground. The two rolled across the room like fighting felines, only that Tajibe held his dominance despite Vegeta's attempts of fighting back as fiercely as he could.
Since Tajibe's concentration was distracted by Vegeta's interference, his telekinetic hold on Bulma broke and she dropped to the ground, coughing and fear-stricken as she watched Vegeta and Tajibe brawl it all out before her eyes. Their movements were a blur to her, occasional crashes against the wall or her things breaking apart would send her clues of their whereabouts but they moved all too fast for her to follow what was going on.
Finally, the two seemed to materialize out of thin air as Tajibe knocked Vegeta hard and pinned him against the floor a few feet to Bulma's left, grabbing his wrists and restraining it on the sides of his head.
"What are you doing?" Tajibe hissed at him fiercely, his voice filled with barely contained rage it sent chills up Bulma's spine.
Vegeta shook his head defiantly, his eyes pleading. "Please…don't do it."
"Are you seriously going against your own word? I suggest that you don't get in my way or I'll make you regret it."
"I don't remember agreeing to your terms," Vegeta told him, his voice strained. "If you let her go, I promise I will do anything you want. Just leave her alone. Please..."
"Are you aware of the consequences of this foolishness, Vegeta?"
"..." The Hakaishin hesitated to answer. He was being painfully made aware of it by almost everyone around him. Yet he didn't listen, he didn't want to.
"A major conflict is about to happen. Because of your mistake of allowing the Orochi to thrive in your Universe instead of fulfilling your duty as a God of Destruction, the Second Great Heavenly War is about to unfold. This will be a major battle that threatens the balance of the Multiverse. Since this woman was present during Orochi's rebirth, even assisted in his delivery, the enemy must already know how much she means to you, hence why it has left its mark on her. You knew that, didn't you?"
Vegeta recalled the snake bite that Bulma had on her right wrist, which she gained while delivering Chioro Ishida. It was the reason for her sudden fever and feebleness when they left the Magus Island, and when Vegeta returned to Chichi's home to check up on her, that mark was nowhere to be seen. As he silently observed her that night before he went to the gods' assembly in the King of All's Palace, he could tell that something was going on with her. He couldn't exactly tell what it was but it brought him immense dread.
"I know! But I'm not letting it happen! I will grow stronger! And stronger! I will do whatever it takes to win, to protect her, the Universe, even the Multiverse from the Orochi! I'm not going to allow such vulnerabilities to get a hold of me! I will not lose no matter what! So please, leave her alone! Train me all you want. I want to become the strongest I could be so I can fulfill that promise! And then, I'll prove it to you all… I'll prove to you all how wrong you are to underestimate me—"
Tajibe slapped Vegeta so hard it effectively shut him up. Vegeta staggered back, his head ringing. His eyes were filled with anger and pain as he glared at Tajibe who refused to be intimidated by him.
Vegeta stared at Tajibe's eyes, which were filled with as many unshed tears he also had on his own.
"You pathetic, delusional fool…" Tajibe hissed at him once again. "If that foolish emotion was the only way for you to win, then I wouldn't be here wasting time directing you to your right path. You're wrong about your delusion, Vegeta. Love isn't enough for you to win in this war. You have to be cold, ruthless, and callous in order to unleash the full extent of your power. You have to rid yourself of your feelings and return to the true destroyer warrior you were once. Heed my advice now, before it's too late for you to realize this."
As Vegeta stared at Tajibe's eyes, he could tell that this deity was insistent about his belief for some reason unknown to him. It was like he was desperately trying to convince him that his way was the right path to win this war, and Vegeta wondered why that was.
Tajibe's eyes widened, realizing that he must have said too much to Vegeta after he heard the God of Destruction's thoughts. Tajibe let Vegeta go and quickly inch away from him. "I've fought many battles where a warrior's emotions were a primary target for manipulation by an enemy in order to win or get whatever they want. I'm sure you are aware of this, Vegeta. You've seen it as much as I do," Tajibe explained, his voice softening slightly.
Vegeta sat up from the ground. "Yes, I do understand where you're going. After all, I used that same tactic a lot of times, too," he admitted, a flicker of shame crossing his face. "But I'm not an easy target, you know."
"You say that when you are clearly easily affected by her presence," Tajibe said. "That is a problem which you must eliminate. If you wish to win this war and achieve true strength, you need to let go of your meaningless attachments and harden your heart and your resolve. That way, there will be nothing to be used against you. Do not waste your time thinking about things that shouldn't matter to you, focus on your duties and your mission alone. You must always prioritize your own safety first before anyone else's, remember that with you being the prophesied Destined Strong One, you now hold the fate of everything that exists in your hands. If you fail on your duty and your mission, think about what will happen to this Universe, the multiverse… Your beloved Bulma… If you truly wish to protect this woman, you must stop this foolishness now."
"…"
Tajibe observed Vegeta's stoic reaction to his words with a criticizing gaze. The God of Destruction simply stood there like a hardened statue with a stern look, like he was stopping himself from saying something back at him. His fists shaking on his sides was an obvious clue that he was simply restraining himself from unleashing his frustration.
"I will postpone destroying her. But only this one time. I'll give you the chance to end this yourself," Tajibe offered. "I trust that you will not fail this simple task. Don't make me lose my hope for you, Vegeta Yonsei."
Tch! Vegeta simply gritted his teeth in his annoyance. He hated this brat with all his heart right now, hated that he had to follow him due to his own weakness. He swore that one day, he will make this brat pay for this.
Tajibe was well-aware of this, of course. But he ignored Vegeta's thoughts. If hatred towards him would harden his heart, then that should be good. There's no time for Vegeta Yonsei to go all soft towards anyone right now, as everyone could become his enemy in this upcoming war.
Even that damned woman...
With that, Tajibe raised a glowing finger at the sky, the light allowed him to fix the mess they made within Bulma's room when they brawled like wild animals. Vegeta and Bulma watched him as he did the familiar technique. It was exactly the same power Vegeta used to fix the world within a closed space after Vegeta's battle with Ensui on Magus Island. After that, he entered the portal that led to the Sacred Space of Spirit and Time without another word, the portal shutting behind him and the closed space he created dissipated.
Vegeta and Bulma were left within Bulma's now fixed studio-type apartment like nothing devastating just happened. A dead silence fell before them for a few moments.
Vegeta stood beside Bulma, inwardly wondering who and what exactly Tajibe was. There was really something about that boy that's eerily familiar to him for some reason. He recalled their last two battles, and he thought how much Tajibe seem to have full knowledge of his fighting style as he was capable of countering every attack Vegeta had thrown at him. Plus, the way he fixed this place… It was similar to Doudai (literally 'Rewind/Backwind/Backtrack'), a divine technique which allows a deity to fix the devastation created within a closed space in a given moment of time. This technique was mostly reserved for the Guide Angels but Vegeta was able to mimic this ability using an energy that's different from his usual divine destruction ki. As far as he knew, besides the guide angels and the grand priest, no other god, especially among the Gods of Destruction, is capable of performing this technique aside from him.
"Is it true that you agreed to destroy me?" Bulma asked, her voice a tremor in the suffocating silence between them.
Hearing this, Vegeta was strayed away from his thoughts about Tajibe's identity.
"No," Vegeta responded without looking at her, his voice rough.
"Then why was he—?"
"We had a deal and I lost. The condition was if I wasn't able to break his mask, he would destroy you himself. I failed to make even a single dent. I'm sorry."
Bulma turned to him this time, her eyes blinking at him, "So he's really that strong?"
"He's much stronger than I anticipated. I couldn't match his powers even in my most powerful form."
"Then what are you going to do now?" she asked him, her voice filled with a mixture of fear and apprehension.
When Vegeta hesitated to answer, Bulma turned to him, her eyes filled with a desperate hope. "Are you going to follow as he says from now on? Are you going to end me? Destroy me? Or perhaps..."
"No," Vegeta replied, his voice firm. "I can't do that. Rest assured that you will never be slain nor destroyed by my hand. But I have no other choice, Bulma. I have to go and train to prepare for the upcoming war. During this time, I wouldn't be around much with you, I expect that you understand."
Bulma shifted uneasily. It was obvious to Vegeta that she was feeling terrified, not because of what happened here but of something else.
"Are you afraid?" he asked, his voice softening.
"Yeah," Bulma nodded, her eyes downcast.
"Why?"
"Because you wouldn't be around to protect me."
"You should keep the Larumes Chahbi with you at all times as that is the protection I bestowed upon you whenever I'm not around. I will try to find time to be with you, if that brat wasn't looking around. But let's not expect much, as he's not someone to be trifled with. Although rest assured that I will use this opportunity to grow stronger until the time comes when he won't be able to stop me. And then, I'll be with you again."
Bulma threw herself into him, embracing him like she didn't want to let him go.
"I'll be waiting for you, then." she told him. "For now, I want you to hold me tight and kiss me. I want to feel your warmth, your touch, your lips, everything. I want to absorb this feeling into my memory so I could relive this moment with you even if you're gone."
The embrace was filled with unspoken promises, a bittersweet tenderness in the face of a looming war. The fate of the universe hung in the balance, and Vegeta, the God of Destruction, was left to grapple with the most terrifying truth of all: his love, his very humanity, was both his greatest strength and his most dangerous weakness.
Vegeta silently watched her as she pulled back, her face filled with a quiet sadness that mirrored his own. It wasn't just fear for her safety, he saw, but the fear of losing him, of this precious connection they had built being ripped apart.
He reached out and cupped her face, his thumb gently tracing the line of her jaw. "I'll be back," he promised. "I have to be."
He knew the words sounded hollow, empty promises against the backdrop of an impending cosmic war. He had failed to overcome Tajibe, his own flaws laid bare, his strength exposed as a fragile veneer. It was a truth he couldn't deny, even to himself, and the knowledge was a cold, heavy weight in his chest.
But even as he knew he had to break free from the shackles of his own affection, the pull of Bulma's hand on his, her fingers entwining with his, reminded him of the very reason he fought. To protect her, to defend this fragile world, to earn the right to stand beside her and fight the cosmic tide.
He leaned in and kissed her, the warmth of her lips a fleeting reminder of what he was fighting for. It was a kiss tinged with sorrow and a quiet, desperate hope.
When he pulled away from her embrace and gentle touch and stepped through the portal back into the Sacred Space of Spirit and Time, the echoes of his love for her lingered in his heart, a beacon in the desolate darkness. He would train, he would fight, and he would return. He had to. He vowed to return — not just to fight, but to come back to this. To her. To his beloved Bulma.