"So there really are Shadow Dragons!" The Oracle Fish's eyes widened instantly, a look of pure shock on its face. "I knew it wouldn't be that simple! That rift and the black gas... those are definitely the omens of a Shadow Dragon's birth!"
"Oh my, didn't you already predict this?" Whis raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise.
"I... I only predicted that in a while, something bad would happen in the universe. I never imagined it would be the birth of a Shadow Dragon!" The Oracle Fish wiped cold sweat from its forehead, its mouth twitching uncontrollably.
Whis shrugged with a smile, his tone as casual as if they were discussing the weather. "Besides, aside from the Shadow Dragons, there might be other things about to happen."
"Other things?" The Oracle Fish grew tense instantly, pressing for more. "What things? Are they more dangerous than Shadow Dragons?"
"Oh, it's not that big of a deal." Whis chuckled, attempting to downplay the severity, but the gravity in his eyes betrayed him. "It's just that... a lot of universes might disappear."
The Oracle Fish's eyes nearly popped out of its head, its face a mask of shock and terror. Even its fins began to tremble.
You... you call that 'not a big deal'?
If the universes disappear, what happens to us?
"Why would universes disappear? Is Grand Zen-Oh going to erase them?" The Oracle Fish was terrified, its body turning a pale shade of white. It knew all too well how terrifying Grand Zen-Oh was—he could erase a universe with a mere flick of his wrist.
"That seems to be the case." Whis nodded, explaining calmly. "I only heard about this by chance. Mr. Hit mentioned it while chatting with Mr. Vegeta."
"Hit? That assassin from Universe 6? How would he know about this?" The Oracle Fish was baffled, looking at Whis with pure confusion.
"Because Mr. Hit is also a reincarnator," Whis replied, his tone carrying a hint of sentiment. "In the world of his past life, only five universes remained in the end. The rest were all erased by Grand Zen-Oh."
The Oracle Fish: "..."
The Oracle Fish instantly felt like its entire world was falling apart. Even breathing became difficult.
Only five universes left?
Does that mean Universe 7 will be erased?
"What exactly happened? Can you be a bit more specific?" The Oracle Fish was truly frightened and scrambled for details.
"Supposedly, in the past world Mr. Hit lived in, Grand Zen-Oh felt there were too many universes and that managing them was a hassle. So, he planned to wipe out the universes with low Mortal Levels." Whis provided a detailed explanation.
"What's our universe's Mortal Level?" the Oracle Fish asked anxiously.
"Don't worry. Our universe is right within the range of those to be erased," Whis replied lightheartedly, as if he were talking about something utterly inconsequential.
The Oracle Fish: "..."
The Oracle Fish nearly fainted on the spot, its heart wailing in despair.
Was that "don't worry" supposed to comfort me?
This is worse than just being told we're going to be erased!
"But you shouldn't be completely hopeless." Whis changed the subject, offering a sliver of hope. "In Mr. Hit's past world, because Mr. Goku had a good relationship with Grand Zen-Oh, he pestered him into holding the Tournament of Power. Grand Zen-Oh eventually agreed. The losing universes would be erased, but the winning universe could continue to exist."
Hearing this, the Oracle Fish breathed a small sigh of relief, its fins finally stilling. "So... did our universe win in the end? Was it not erased?"
"At least until the moment Mr. Hit disappeared, our universe hadn't lost." Whis smiled, offering no definitive answer. "But that was all in a past life. The world now has undergone many changes. We won't necessarily repeat the same mistakes."
"If the universe is erased, what happens to me? Will I disappear with it?" The Oracle Fish was most concerned about its own fate and asked urgently, its eyes full of desperation.
"Yes, indeed. Not just you, but Lord Beerus and the Supreme Kai will all disappear as well," Whis replied with a smile, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.
The Oracle Fish completely lost the will to speak, its face turning whiter than a sheet of paper.
Why are you still smiling so brightly?
Don't you know we're all going to vanish?
"What about you? Whis, what happens to you?" The Oracle Fish suddenly thought of something and pressed further, a hint of expectation in its eyes. Maybe Angels don't get erased?
"I am an Angel. Even if the universe is erased, I will be fine," Whis answered frankly.
The Oracle Fish blew several bubbles, truly speechless.
No wonder you're so relaxed. It turns out you're the only one who'll be fine!
"But don't you worry. That was all in Mr. Hit's past world. It might not happen in ours," Whis said, seeing the Oracle Fish's dejection, and offered a smiling consolation. "Look, the Zamasu incident happened in Mr. Hit's past world, but in ours, wasn't it stopped ahead of time? The fates of parallel worlds are different."
"You have a point there." The Oracle Fish breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a bit more grounded. It was true; the trajectory of parallel worlds isn't necessarily the same. Maybe their world could dodge this bullet.
"Then tell me more about the Shadow Dragons. Why keep it a secret from Mr. Goku?" The Oracle Fish brought the topic back, its eyes full of curiosity. "Is this more important than the universe being erased?"
"Oh, my... that's a secret for now. I can't tell you." Whis shook his head with a smile, intentionally teasing the fish, his eyes full of mystery.
The Oracle Fish: "..."
The Oracle Fish felt like its fish brain was about to short-circuit. Why was everything being kept from it?
"In any case, the matter regarding the Shadow Dragons is the Grand Minister's wish. I am simply following orders." Seeing the Oracle Fish about to press further, Whis quickly used the Grand Minister as a shield, his tone becoming serious.
"The Gra-Gra-Gra... Grand Minister!" Cold sweat instantly broke out on the Oracle Fish's face, and it began to stutter. The Grand Minister was the highest-ranking Angel in the universe; even Lord Beerus held him in high regard. No one dared to question his decisions.
The Oracle Fish completely gave up on asking. It slumped at the bottom of its bowl, looking like it had nothing left to live for.
Forget it. Knowing too much just makes me more afraid. I'll just be a good little salted fish.
...
Inside the spaceship where Son Goku and the others were, the atmosphere was subtle.
Inside Moro's sleep pod, his eyes were tightly shut, a faint black magic swirling around him. He was trying to use his magic to eavesdrop on Goku and the others, wanting to find out if they were plotting against him.
However, the protective barrier Hit had set up was like an invisible wall, blocking out all sound. Moro spent a long time trying, but he couldn't hear a single word.
Moro frowned, tempted to release more magic to force a breakthrough, but after a second thought, he gave up. Using too much magic would shorten his lifespan; right now, the most important thing was finding the Super Dragon Balls. There was no need to waste energy on such trivial matters.
"Hmph. So what if you play tricks? If worst comes to worst, I'll just kill you all and go back to Namek for the regular Dragon Balls." Moro snorted inwardly, though he couldn't help but feel a bit of regret. If he had known, he wouldn't have killed Cranberry so early. At least with him around, there was a backup plan. Now, he didn't even have anyone to discuss things with.
He always felt that kid Cabba's smile was too fake—he was definitely up to something. After a moment of thought, Moro stopped dwelling on it, adjusted his breathing, and slowly lay back down to sleep. Conserving his energy was the only way to handle the coming variables.
...
In the main cabin, although Son Goku had outwardly accepted Whis's explanation, he still felt a lingering unease. He rubbed his chin, his brow slightly furrowed in thought.
"What exactly are Shadow Dragons? Are they really as powerful as you say?" Cabba couldn't help but ask curiously, his eyes full of doubt. He had never heard of monsters born from Dragon Balls.
"The Shadow Dragons I encountered before were born from Earth's Dragon Balls. Their strength far exceeded Super Saiyan Blue," Goku answered seriously, his tone carrying a hint of lingering fear. "Back then, to defeat Syn Shenron, I had to put in a hell of an effort."
"What? Stronger than Super Saiyan Blue?" Cabba was stunned, his eyes wide. He had worked so hard to achieve the Blue form, thinking he had reached the universe's peak. He never expected there to be something even stronger.
Hit also raised an eyebrow, a touch of gravity entering his gaze. An enemy that made Son Goku this wary was definitely not to be underestimated.
"I was thinking... if regular Dragon Balls can give birth to such powerful Shadow Dragons, if something goes wrong with the Super Dragon Balls... forget about their strength, just their size alone would probably be as big as a planet, right?" Goku mused, his tone full of worry.
Upon hearing this, Cabba, Hit, and Piccolo were all visibly moved. The Super Dragon Balls themselves were the size of planets. If a Shadow Dragon really were born from them, just that massive size alone would be enough to strike terror into anyone.
"Didn't Whis say so? The Super Dragon Balls won't have any issues, so stop worrying so much." Piccolo smiled helplessly, trying to comfort Goku. "Besides, your strength now is much greater than before. Even if there really is a Shadow Dragon, you might not necessarily lose."
"I hope so." Goku nodded slightly, but he still couldn't quite let it go.
"And did you forget? We have Broly too!" Piccolo added with a smile. "If you and Broly team up, or even fuse, you could defeat even a Super Shadow Dragon, right?"
"You're right, Piccolo!" Goku's eyes lit up, and he instantly regained his confidence. Broly's potential was limitless; with his help, there really was nothing to fear.
"Actually, I also feel that Super Dragon Ball is off. That black gas was too eerie," Hit mused. "But since your universe's Angel guaranteed it's fine, maybe we really are overthinking it."
"I hope so," Goku replied. He stopped dwelling on the Shadow Dragons and turned his interest toward the Saiyans of Universe 6.
Seeing this, Hit quietly withdrew the barrier. For the rest of the journey, the few of them chatted about inconsequential topics—which planet had the best food, which galaxy had the most beautiful scenery—and the atmosphere gradually relaxed. There was no point in keeping the barrier up anymore.
As they chatted, Goku suddenly asked, "Cabba, how's the overall strength of the Saiyans in Universe 6? Are you currently the strongest Saiyan over there?"
"I'm definitely not the strongest." Cabba shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a hint of deep respect. "Our Sadala Defense Forces' captain, Lord Renso, is much stronger than I am."
"Renso? Can he also transform into Super Saiyan Blue?" Goku was instantly interested, his eyes burning with the desire for battle.
"He doesn't even need to transform to defeat my Super Saiyan Blue form," Cabba answered with a bitter smile, his tone full of helplessness. "You tell me, is he strong or what?"
"What? He can beat Blue without even transforming?" Goku was completely floored, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit a fist. "That's insane!"
Hit was also a bit surprised. He had fought Renso before and knew his strength well. It was a pure, overwhelming kind of power that made even his Time-Skip technique difficult to pull off.
"That's why everyone says Lord Renso is terrifying," Cabba sighed. "If he could actually transform into a Super Saiyan, I really don't know what level he'd reach."
"The Saiyans of Universe 6 are actually that strong!" Goku clicked his tongue in wonder, his hands subconsciously tightening as a look of excitement crossed his face. "This Renso you're talking about... can he transform into a Super Saiyan?"
"I don't know. I've never seen him transform," Cabba shook his head. "He seems to always fight in his base form, yet no one can beat him."
"Hit, have you fought Renso?" Goku turned to ask Hit, wanting a professional's evaluation.
"I'm not his match," Hit nodded, his tone frank. "His speed and power are both above mine. The Time-Skip has very limited effect on him."
"Huh? Even you can't beat him?" Goku was even more surprised. "Then why didn't he come to the tournament between Universe 6 and Universe 7?"
"Lord Renso's child happened to be born those few days. He turned down Lord Champa's invitation and recommended that I go instead," Cabba explained, his tone carrying a hint of relief. If Renso had participated, he wouldn't have had the chance to represent Universe 6.
"Aside from Renso, are there any other powerful Saiyans in Universe 6?" Goku pressed, his curiosity growing by the second.
"It's said that our Saiyan King—King Sadala—is even stronger than Lord Renso," Cabba mused, his eyes full of awe. "But that's just a legend. No one has ever actually seen King Sadala fight."
"There's someone even better?" Goku rubbed his hands together excitedly, his face full of anticipation. "I definitely have to find a chance to go to Universe 6 and spar with Renso and King Sadala!"
"You might want to forget about that," Cabba laughed, intentionally teasing him. "With your current strength, you probably couldn't even beat one of Lord Renso's fingers. Going there would just be asking for a beatdown."
"Hahaha, you never know!" Goku wasn't offended at all; he just laughed along.
What Goku loved most was challenging the strong. The more powerful the opponent, the more it fired up his fighting spirit. Hit remained silent, simply nodding slightly. He, too, was looking forward to a battle between Goku and Renso; it would likely be a spectacular showdown.
Piccolo: "..."
Piccolo finally couldn't take it anymore. He turned to Cabba and spoke with a hint of helplessness, "Is this Renso you're talking about stronger than your God of Destruction, Lord Champa?"
"Well, not quite that strong!" Cabba shook his head quickly, his tone firm. "Lord Champa is a God of Destruction, one of the top powerhouses in the universe. How could a mortal possibly surpass a God of Destruction?"
Piccolo curled his lip, not bothering to engage further. Haven't you realized that the Son Goku standing right in front of you surpassed the level of a God of Destruction long ago? You really are a frog in a well!
However, Piccolo didn't say anything more. There was no point in arguing with Cabba over such things.
"By the way, King Sadala has a tail, just like you Saiyans from Universe 7," Cabba added. "I've heard that Saiyans with tails can turn into giant apes on nights with a full moon, and their strength multiplies by ten. I wonder if that's true."
"It's true!" Goku's eyes lit up, and he quickly explained, "But you lose your reason when you turn into a Great Ape, and it's easy to cause a lot of destruction. I turned into one several times when I was a kid."
The group continued chatting about Saiyan topics, and before they knew it, over sixty hours had passed.
...
The spaceship crossed the border of Universe 7 and entered a region of absolute nothingness—the World of Void. There were no planets here, no starlight. Not even a hint of energy could be felt. As far as the eye could see, there was only endless void.
Moro finally woke up, feeling his magic had recovered a bit. He stretched his hunched body and walked out of the sleep pod into the main cabin. Looking at the darkness outside the window, he frowned slightly. "How much longer until we reach Universe 6?"
"We're only halfway there. It'll probably take another sixty hours or so," Cabba answered with a smile, intentionally teasing him. "Why don't you sleep a bit longer? By the time you wake up, we'll be just about there."
Moro: "..."
Moro's face darkened instantly. Sleep, my ass!
"What is this place? Why aren't there any planets around?" Moro looked around, unable to help but ask. This region of void gave him an uneasy feeling.
"This is the World of Void. As the name suggests, it's a place where there is nothing," Cabba explained lightheartedly.
Moro: "..."
Talk about a literal name.
Moro sensed the surroundings carefully and found that there truly wasn't a single ripple of energy. The world outside was like a void that could swallow everything.
"A strange place," Moro muttered under his breath, his gaze returning to the window as he tried to find a sign of life, only to see endless darkness.
"Speaking of which, since we've got time to kill, Hit, why don't we spar a bit?" Goku, bored out of his mind, made a suggestion to Hit, his eyes full of fighting spirit.
"Spar on the spaceship?" Hit paused and gave a bitter smile. "Aren't you worried about destroying the ship? This is the World of Void. If something happens to the ship, we won't even have a place to stand."
"Oh right, I totally forgot about that!" Goku slapped his head and shook it helplessly. He had been so excited he forgot where they were.
"If you want to spar, I have a way," Moro suddenly spoke up, a weird smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I can create an 'Absolute Space' for you. You can fight inside it without causing any damage to the spaceship."
"Absolute Space? Can you really do that?" Goku beamed with joy, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Try it and see," Moro chuckled, extending his right hand as black magic began to swirl around his fingertips.
SNAP!
Moro snapped his fingers, and the black magic instantly expanded, enveloping the entire main cabin. Goku and the others felt their vision blur, and the environment changed instantly.
The narrow cabin vanished, replaced by a vast, crimson land. The ground was covered in jagged rock walls, looking desolate and eerie. The area looked somewhat like the battlefield where Goku and Vegeta had their first fight, but it was stained a dark red. The sky was gloomy, with no sun in sight, yet it emitted a soft light that illuminated the entire space.
Goku and the others were all shocked and couldn't help but look around.
"What... what happened? Were we teleported to another planet?" Cabba asked curiously.
"It's a bit like Babidi's magic. Impressive!" Goku clicked his tongue in wonder, giving Moro a deep look. This old guy definitely had a lot of secrets hidden away.
"Babidi? Who's that?" Moro asked flatly, a hint of wariness in his eyes.
"An evil wizard who wanted to rule the world, so we killed him," Goku answered with a smile. His tone was casual, but it carried a clear note of warning.
Moro's face darkened. "..."
What the hell do you mean 'evil and killed'?! Are you implying something about me?
"Will fighting here really not affect the spaceship?" Cabba asked from the side, still a bit uneasy.
"It won't," Moro replied with certainty. "This space exists independently, like an extra dimension opened inside the spaceship. Even if you tear this place apart, the ship won't suffer any damage."
"Are we still on the spaceship then?" Cabba pressed, his eyes full of curiosity.
"Of course. We never left," Moro nodded, his lips curling up.
"So it's like a pocket dimension? Existing independently but still connected to the ship?" Goku scratched his head, his eyes full of curiosity.
"That's more or less it. You can understand it that way," Moro nodded slightly, a hint of pride in his tone.
"I think I get the gist of it!" Goku grinned, cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders. "I haven't had a good workout in a while. Today's the perfect chance to spar with Hit and see the results of my recent training."
"Fine by me. I'd also like to see how strong you've become," Hit's lips curled up slightly, a flash of fighting spirit in his eyes. He had lost to Goku in his past life; in this one, he wanted to win it back.
Hit stepped forward toward Goku, his aura gradually becoming cold, like a hunter ready to strike. Moro retreated to the side, crossing his arms with a look of someone watching a show, his mind secretly calculating.
Go ahead and fight. It's best if you both end up half-dead; then I can reap the spoils and drain all your energy! This man called Son Goku doesn't look simple. This is the perfect chance to scope out his true depth.
"Shall we get started then?" Goku looked at Hit with a burning gaze, leaning forward slightly in a combat stance.
Just as Hit was about to nod in agreement, Cabba suddenly stepped forward and blocked him. "Hit, wait a second!"
Hit raised an eyebrow and looked at him in confusion. "What is it?"
To be continued…
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