DB Multiverse

Part 36, Chapter 177.

All the universes — spectators included — ate lunch in high spirits, free of any problems. As usual, Gast Carcolh only drank large glasses of water. The Cell Juniors of Universe 17, dejected by the loss of their beloved father, remained in their quarters. As for XXI, he secluded himself in his apartment as well. As always, he only emerged for his matches.

The Vargas were preparing for what was to come:

“So, I suppose we can resume?” Susu said with relief.

“Absolutely,” replied Sei. “We’ll be able to finish up the quarterfinals, it should go very quickly. I personally can’t wait to see how the matches go!”

“That isn’t very reassuring,” said Susu. “There’s still that Buu from Universe 4. Even though I know he’s under the control of the gods, he still caused us all a lot of trouble. I don’t think I can handle any more chaotic interruptions.”

“Well, you shouldn’t worry. Gast Carcolh will handle any problems, and we’ve fixed our machine. Everything’s fine. If Buu acts suspiciously, we’ll just send him home. Let’s get the next fight started.”

As the tables were removed and everyone settled back into the arena, Sei grabbed her microphone and announced.

“Very well, we will now continue the tournament! For the third fight, I call upon Buu from Universe 4 against XXI from Universe 5!”

From the darkness of the Universe 5 corridor, the magician appeared. He levitated from his patio to the ring, where he landed. He turned his unreadable gaze toward Universe 1.

Buu’s dark eyes met and matched the wizard’s. This was it—the moment had finally arrived. Time to confront this mysterious being that had not only eliminated Vegetto but even managed to destroy one of his own heads. The power emanating from him wasn’t all that great, but there weren’t many people with such energy. Besides, that wasn’t the primary danger, Buu felt.

“Alright, it’s time,” said the Grand Kaioshin with a smile.

He released the Djinn, who reformed his full body before the Kaioshins. South Kaioshin tensed and clenched his fists.

“Don’t forget, we’ve got our eyes on you, Buu!” he said authoritatively. Buu offered him a bored look, clearly getting fed up with the rule-obsessed god. If Buu had wanted, he could've taken control of the tournament from the start. But taking control of all the universes? Not his style. Aside from studying the divergences of all the timelines and parallel realities — which he’d already gotten a good sampling of during the tournament — it wasn’t all that interesting. At best, he could absorb a complete Vegetto, but in his current state, he already felt his power was absolute.

Anyway, the time had come.

“This guy is a top-tier magician. He trapped Vegetto in a mere instant; that brief opening was all he needed. I won’t be so lenient. I’ll disintegrate him right away. Once he’s dead, it'll be over. And if you’re who I think you are, it was a mistake for you to lock yourself in a physical body. I’m going to annihilate you with it!”

He hopped over the railing and landed. Instantly, in a tiny fraction of a second, he extended his arm and unleashed an overwhelmingly powerful Ki blast at XXI, who vanished in flames and light. The intensity and power of the attack were so great that the entire ring shook, the heat from the blast causing spectators to sweat.

When the dust finally cleared, nothing remained but a smoking crater. Not even ash was left — XXI had been completely disintegrated. Buu allowed himself a small smile, though a faint unease lingered. This magician hadn’t seemed strong enough to shrug off physical attacks... but he couldn’t afford to underestimate him. He might have created a copy, hidden himself in a pocket dimension, or pulled some other magical trick. Vigilance was still required.

Disappointed murmurs rippled through the crowd.

“That’s it?” one spectator called out. “He won just like that?”

“What do you think, Vegetto?” asked Piccolo from Universe 16.

“Buu’s attack was exceptional,” the Saiyan replied. “It doesn’t resemble my own disintegration technique, but the power is more than enough to reduce someone to atoms. If XXI survived, it must have been through some kind of trickery.”

The Vargas began the countdown. Buu scanned every direction — left, right, up — and extended his ki senses for thousands of kilometers around the arena. Nothing. No trace of black smoke either. Could he have been wrong?

Then, an unrecognizable voice echoed throughout the arena, as if it were emanating from the universe itself.

“Parapa, Bibi Diba Bidibu!!”

Everyone looked up in shock. Goku blurted out:

“What?”

“Who said that?” added Piccolo.

“That phrasing, it sounded like...” Vegetto muttered, eyebrows raised.

In the arena, Buu’s eyes widened in pure terror. It was... it was that cursed spell! Quickly — a counter-spell, anything to undo it! He had to react immediately—

His thoughts froze. The spell had activated far too fast, leaving him no time to respond. Buu’s body began to tremble violently and swell larger and larger.

“No!” the Djinn cried out.

He desperately tried to summon his powers, but it was useless. His strength, his magic, everything — all of it was sealed away. All across the arena, at dizzying speed, tiny pink fragments were ripped from every direction and sucked toward the center of the spell, merging into the growing gelatinous mass. Terrified, Buu felt his consciousness fading as his body transformed into a massive pink sphere — the very prison that many in the crowd immediately recognized as Majin Buu’s ball.

“Wh-what?” Son Gohan stammered, stunned.

“It was Babidi’s incantation!” Piccolo from Universe 18 exclaimed. “But he’s not even here anymore — so who shouted it?”

“It must be outside help, since it didn’t come from inside the arena, right?” Goku asked.

A wave of commotion swept over the spectators and participants alike. In the Kaioshin balcony, they were left speechless. South Kaioshin remembered that magic sphere all too well; he had discovered it in Bibidi’s lair just as the sorcerer was about to release its prisoner. Their timely intervention had been a blessing — in many other universes, no one had been able to stop Majin Buu.

Who had just neutralized this monster with its countless powers and abilities? XXI had been destroyed only moments ago, and the voice had seemed to come from nowhere. Worse, it had vaguely resembled XXI’s own. Had there been cheating?

On the Varga’s side, no one knew how to react.

“What do I do?” Sei wondered aloud. “Do I start the countdown? If they’re both out of the fight like in the earlier match, do we disqualify them? Because I don’t think this is going to resolve quickly...”

“Ah, wait — something’s happening in the arena,” Arckou said suddenly.

Right where XXI had stood, a thin wisp of smoke began rising from the ground. The small cloud rapidly grew larger and denser until it was completely opaque. Before everyone’s eyes, it slowly took on a humanoid shape — though blurry and unstable, as if struggling to solidify.

Still, one could begin to discern a head, with two glowing slits for eyes, nostrils flared like a snake’s, and in place of a mouth, an even deeper, darker void.

Thus, the true form of XXI was revealed.

In the apartments of Universe 19.

The Old Kaioshin from Universe 9 began to tremble as he sensed an all-too-familiar presence — one that dragged up far too many painful memories.

“It’s... it’s him! The XXI I know! I’m certain of it, it can’t be a coincidence. The 21st still exists, and he has found the gateway to his ultimate goal. We cannot let him succeed!”

The entity from the dawn of the universe, the very antithesis of everything the Kaioshins stood for — protecting life and existence itself — had just made its grand return. It was already terrible enough that it had survived in at least one universe. But its presence here at the tournament heralded an apocalypse that would transcend all realities. Under no circumstances could it be allowed to cross the boundaries between worlds. At worst, they would have to confine it permanently to its own universe. But at this point, it had to be eliminated once and for all.

The Old Kaioshin turned his gaze toward Raditz, who was watching him with a perplexed expression. Could he use this Saiyan as a warrior against XXI? He would have to think about it.

Under everyone’s stunned gaze, XXI rose slowly from the center of the thick smoke. In a deep cavernous voice, he declared:

“There is no rule preventing a change in form. I am not the first to do it. I am conscious, and my opponent is not. Therefore, I have won.”

“He’s right,” Sei said, turning to her colleagues. “Thirty seconds have passed. XXI from Universe 5 is the winner.”

The announcement triggered a massive uproar throughout the arena. No one could understand how this mysterious individual had managed to systematically neutralize every opponent since the start of the tournament. He had just eliminated yet another incredibly powerful being using nothing but magic. And what was that dark, shadowy form?

As XXI turned and headed back toward his corridor, Vegetto suddenly teleported in front of him.

“Wait a minute! Who uttered the magic formula?”

“I did,” XXI replied simply. “I set it to trigger automatically at the beginning of the fight.”

“Let’s say I believe you,” the Saiyan retorted. “How could you possibly know that incantation?”

“I have no reason to answer that question.”

With those words, XXI disappeared down the corridor leading to his quarters, leaving Vegetto seething with frustration. It was inconceivable that this blasted magician could know such an ancient and complex formula. Vegetto had once questioned the Old Kaioshin of his own universe about that exact magic. The spell that created Majin Buu required an extremely high level of mastery and a complete understanding of the dark arts that had given birth to the Djinn. Only Bibidi, its creator, had ever been capable of using it. If Babidi had managed it, it was solely because he had inherited his father’s notes.

But that wasn’t what frustrated Vegetto the most. Aside from himself, Buu had been the only competitor light-years ahead of everyone else — practically untouchable. And yet, XXI had once again struck precisely at his opponent’s only weakness, and without the slightest difficulty. Others had noticed as well.

“It’s like this XXI guy knows everyone’s weaknesses!” Goku exclaimed, clearly perplexed.

“And for Buu to be defeated so easily...” added Gohan, standing beside him.

“It’s ridiculous — with all that power, Vegeta said. “Since the start of this blasted tournament, he’d shown off like his abilities were limitless, and yet he gets caught by surprise from some sealing spell? You’d think he would’ve planned some way to counter it.”

“Maybe that’s just his nature, and he can’t help himself?” Gohan wondered aloud. “But between the remote control trick and this... I’m starting to wonder how he comes up with these strategies. And what was that form?”

The three Saiyans stared intently toward Universe 5’s area, where XXI had now vanished. The shadowy figure did not bode well at all.