"You'll die."
"Hmm, that's very possible!"
"You're not me. If you die, you'll just become a wandering ghost."
"Haha, then I'll try my best not to die." Yamiru replied casually.
"..." Annin said nothing more.
"Sadala, the Saiyans... So that's how it is..." In a place no one could see, Angel Sherie stood before her floating scepter, speaking calmly to the crystal orb at its tip. "You and your sister's universes have a truly incredible race."
"..."
"If our universe had beings like that, perhaps it wouldn't have been destroyed. Whis."
A voice from the far end of the universe echoed through the orb: "Don't talk nonsense, Sherie."
"..." Sherie lowered her eyes briefly before smiling dismissively. "Yes, even the most remarkable races are ultimately just mortals. How could they possibly defy Lord Zeno's will?"
"You're speaking too much, Sherie." Whis's voice carried a rare sternness through the orb. "You wouldn't happen to hold dissatisfaction toward Lord Zeno, would you?"
"Hehehe, how could I ever be dissatisfied with Lord Zeno..." Sherie lightly covered her lips, her tone playful. "He's merely a weak—"
"Silence!" Whis sharply interrupted through the orb.
"Mmm... What's wrong, Whis?" A purple, hairless cat-like being yawned sleepily behind him, though a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes. "Rare to see you so flustered. Ah well, I'm off to sleep. Carry on. Soooooo tired." Without waiting for a response from his so-called teacher and attendant, the Destroyer floated back to his castle.
Whis refocused, his expression somber as he gazed at the crystal orb. "If not Lord Zeno, then tell me, Sherie... The one you're dissatisfied with—could it be the very person I'm thinking of?"
"Think whatever you like. I never said I was dissatisfied with anyone." Sherie, still on Earth, replied nonchalantly. "Would someone with grievances travel all the way here to do this job?"
"..." Whis said coolly, "If that were true, you wouldn't be here now. You'd be sleeping atop the World Tree."
"Watch your words, Whis." Sherie's tone remained light, still laced with amusement.
"The one who should be more careful is you." Whis regained his usual composure. "All you had to do was bring Leslie back. How has it taken you hundreds of years? If this drags on any longer, I won't be able to turn a blind eye."
Sherie chuckled. "Don't be so cold, Whis. If force or coercion were the answer, why send me? Just inform your and Vados's father, the Grand Priest, and Leslie would've been captured instantly, no? Since I'm handling this, naturally, I intend to resolve it as peacefully as possible..."
Whis tapped his scepter lightly. The orb's image shifted, displaying scenes from Earth in Universe 7.
Gloomy skies, pervasive underworld miasma... Death and corruption everywhere, as if the planet itself had become a projection of hell...
"And you call this peaceful?" Whis asked softly.
"This is the compromise we reached after negotiation." Sherie replied. "—He agreed to disappear, but only if Earthlings eliminate him and seal the rift to the underworld themselves. It took considerable effort to convince him to allow me to lend Earthlings a small helping hand."
Whis frowned. "Earthlings eliminating him? Are you joking?"
Sherie smiled. "Of course not in the literal sense. After all, Leslie is still an angel! All it takes is one sufficiently strong Earthling willing to fight him to the death—truly, until death. He promised that when the time comes, he'll 'perish together' with them. Then he'll return with me." She licked her lips. "If I recall correctly, his exact words were: 'If you want me to willingly slumber, then at least let me see that such a self-sacrificing person exists.'"
"... 'Self-sacrifice.' I see." Whis murmured. "So that's how you view this matter?"
"..." Sherie smiled in silence, then lightly tapped her own scepter. The crystal orb shifted to show a corner of the settlement—Yamiru, his golden eyes gleaming, taking a deep breath as he once again drew demonic energy into his body, transforming into a black-scaled monster. Ignoring Whis's words, she said instead, "And don't accuse me of slacking. Haven't I just found a second Earthling candidate who might fulfill the requirements?"
A brief silence came from the other side of the orb before Whis replied, "You'd best not do anything unnecessary, Sherie."
Sherie merely smiled. "Don't worry, I'll return with Leslie." She paused. "Together... back to the Celestial Realm. To slumber."
---
Celestial Realm, Above the World Tree's Summit
A hand appeared from nowhere, plucking a glowing petal from the void.
"..." After a moment of silence, the Celestial God Bartender clenched the petal in her palm. When she opened her hand again, it had transformed into a pool of fragrant wine. With a tilt of her wrist, droplets scattered downward, silently merging into the colossal, sky-obscuring World Tree below.
The ruler of the Celestial Realm gazed into the void—as if looking upward, or downward; as if peering before time began, or far beyond its end...
---
Nearly half a month passed in the settlement.
Yamiru felt no impatience. Since he had no idea how this time travel had happened—or how it would end—there was no point in rushing.
He trained methodically.
At his current level, defeating those demon kings was impossible.
Annin's method of growing stronger—bound to the Furnace of Eight Divisions—was something Yamiru couldn't replicate. Learning from her experience was out of the question.
So he continued forging his own path.
CRACK!
A dark golden lightning bolt, serpentine in its descent, struck a corner of the settlement from the oppressive clouds above, briefly illuminating a nearby figure.
A guard nearly drew his blade, mistaking the intruder for a demon—until he recognized Yamiru, the mysterious expert who had arrived with Annin half a month ago. 'Still... this training method is unsettling,' the guard thought.
"Quite formidable power," a teasing voice remarked behind the draconified Yamiru. "Though I'm not sure how you resist the corruption in this energy... attempting to wield something so far beyond your comprehension will only lead to disaster."
Sherie. That enigmatic angel. Even in his monstrous form, Yamiru's golden eyes remained clear as he recognized her voice.
Exhaling, he asked, "Then do you have another method to teach me how to grow stronger?"
"There are many ways. The simplest example? Me channeling power directly into you..." Sherie's eyes curved with amusement. "But we both know that won't work."
"Understood." Yamiru nodded, slowly releasing the demonic energy. The black scales receded from his body. "We must be Earthlings."
"Yet somehow, I have a feeling you'll be the one to assist Annin..." Sherie mused, her gaze lingering on the golden dragon mark coiled around Yamiru's right wrist.
Now fully human again, Yamiru massaged his wrist and stared at the darkened sky. "I do have a plan in mind... but it'll take time. And your help, Angel Sherie."
"Oh? You truly are a mysterious man, Yamiru." Sherie's smile widened, her tongue flicking over her lips.