Part 36, Chapter 179.

PART THIRTY SIX: DECEITFUL MAGICIANS

Chapter 179

Translated by npberryhill, edited by Guilarai

The smoke quickly coalesced, forming the silhouette of his usual body, and Buu regained his physical form in the ring.

“And here I am again!” he exclaimed joyfully. “You thought I wouldn’t have solved my little weakness? It takes a bit of time, but...” He paused as his gaze fell on Universe 1, standing directly in front of him. The Grand Kaioshin was watching him with a weary expression, while his comrades had taken fighting stances, as if ready for a threat. Buu understood immediately.

“Oh, I see. So you’ve figured out that I’ve been manipulating the tournament from the very beginning, haven’t you? Who let it slip? Though I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

“You will not get away with this, Buu,” the East Kaioshin snapped. “You’ve committed unforgivable crimes, not to mention the countless rules you’ve broken!”

“Again with the rules?” Buu said, rolling his eyes. “Wasn’t it you Kaioshins that proposed this tournament between the multiverse for your own amusement? It’s by far the most interesting event I’ve seen in a long time. An unexpected celebration! And yet here you are, ruining it with all your constant security measures. So boring.”

“The lives of other people aren’t toys, Buu,” the North Kaioshin said. “We promised the innocent participants and spectators a peaceful tournament. Out of respect for them and for the guidelines set in place, to ensure fair competition. Babidi was a mistake on our part, but we’ve learned that you helped enable some of his actions. You’re just as culpable for the crimes committed as he was!”

“Come now, I resurrected all those who were killed as well as restored everything to the way it was before. All’s well that ends well!”

“Wrong,” Son Gohan of Universe 16 spoke up, his voice filled with fury. “You really haven’t changed at all, Buu, I think you’re even more evil than before. In the past, I could’ve understood you a little—even forgiven you. You were a lost soul that loved to fight. Mr. Satan proved that you still had good in you. Cell was much worse. But now... you’re nothing but a scumbag who toys with us for your own amusement! You represent a threat to all the universes!”

“Still overdramatizing things I see, Gohan,” Buu sneered. “I’ve no interest in playing with your universes. My own situation keeps me busy enough. However, this tournament is the perfect opportunity for some truly great experiments! Unexpected battles, revelations—who knows what might happen! In fact, we can pick up right where we left off, we’ll just have another tournament and forget this idea of double battles for the losers! Son Gohan, your participation is not optional. And we’ll switch to four-person battles to speed things along! For anyone who wants, I will endow upgrades to their powers. Oh, and those pesky containment techniques are strictly forbidden!”

Upon hearing that, Kakarotto from Universe 13 began to raise his hand, intending to request access to Super Saiyan 3. Vegeta immediately smacked him on the head.

“Absolutely not!” roared the South Kaioshin. “This tournament is canceled! Everyone is going home, immediately!”

The Saiyans were visibly shocked by the declaration—especially Vegetto and Son Goku. While they didn’t agree with Buu’s actions, they certainly shared his enthusiasm for fighting. They saw nothing wrong with his proposal: quite the opposite, in fact.

“Oh, come on!” Vegetto retorted.

“Dad, don’t get involved,” Trunks told him.

“This has gone on long enough!” the South Kaioshin continued, already moving toward the Vargas’ control tower. “Everyone’s doing whatever they please, and there’s no way we’re letting a danger like Majin Buu run wild—”

Suddenly, a presence seized him by the shoulder from behind. An avatar of Buu was staring at him intently. His face twisted with fury at the mention of his old name.

“You don’t get to decide,” Buu said coldly. “When will you understand? Your bossy attitude has been unbearable from the start. You’re exhausting us all, you know that? We’re fed up with self-righteous moral guardians like you, obsessed with peace and order. We’re going to have some fun, and you’re going to keep quiet.”

The South Kaioshin tensed, seething at the idea of being inferior to this creature. But just as he was about to retort, Vegetto stepped in to prevent things from escalating further.

“Well, it’s true we’ve always gotten through everything just fine so far.”

“Just fine?” Son Gohan repeated, shocked.

“And everything always ended well, just like your leader and Buu said,” Vegetto continued. “Buu’s been a good sport; don’t forget he accepted his defeat in the main tournament like a champ. We can handle our own fights without bothering you. Another tournament sounds perfect. Who cares?”

“That’s true,” added Son Goku. “I’d like to fight Buu and Vegetto myself!”

“You’d get yourself killed..” Son Goten said dejectedly.

The commotion in the stands resumed. Many spectators wanted to expel the Majin from the tournament. After all, he had already interrupted it once before. He had also been complicit in the carnage orchestrated by Babidi. And now, once again, he was seizing control and doing exactly as he pleased. Most saw him as a clear danger.

And yet, a sizable group made their voices heard in support of Buu. They had witnessed grandiose spectacles thanks to these super-powered beings, and they were being offered even more epic battles!

Among the participants, however, Buu’s supporters were far fewer. None of them had enjoyed being pawns in his game.

“The Kaioshins are right,” said Son Gohan of Universe 18, clenching his fists. “Vegeta, Dad... forget the tournament. Buu is too dangerous. We have to stop him.”

“I hate this idea, but I suppose you’re right,” Vegeta replied. “We’ll get rid of him first, and then I’ll deal with you afterward, Son Goku. We’ll have our fight.”

“If that’s what you think, I agree,” his rival and friend replied.

“You don’t know us very well if you think we’re going to let you decide for us, Buu!” Trunks exclaimed from beside them. Goten nodded in agreement. They felt humiliated by the one who had turned their early childhood into a nightmare. He still vividly remembered the brutal death of his mother—transformed into an egg and crushed immediately afterward. In the context of the tournament, he had been willing to be a good sport. But now it was personal again. There was no way Buu was going to toy with his world and everyone else’s.

An immense power suddenly erupted from Universe 16. Beside Vegetto, who raised an eyebrow in surprise, Son Bra had transformed into a Super Saiyan 2. She glared at Buu with pure contempt.

“You’ve certainly enjoyed tormenting us, you monster!” Son Bra cried furiously. “And you’ve played with us long enough!”

Stunned, Pan stared at her sister. Despite the anger she still felt toward her, an immediate threat now loomed, and Son Bra was right. Her resentment was justified.

Son Bra turned to her father, her eyes filled with anguish.

“Dad, I know you have no reason to listen to me, but please... If we let Buu have his way, he’ll end up controlling every universe, even ours! We can’t let him!”

Son Gohan and Piccolo nodded and unleashed their energies. Vegetto remained silent. He was surprised by how apt his daughter’s words were. Despite his deep desire to have fun and fully enjoy the tournament—and although he agreed with Buu on the substance—Son Bra’s pleading tone struck him to the core. Buu had used him just as much as her, and had ridiculed him. While they might have been distant accomplices at the start of the tournament, Buu had quickly lost interest in him, creating his own playing field and sidelining him. He, whose very existence was justified only by the need to confront Majin Buu. There was no way he was going to let the creature cling to that sense of superiority.

Seeing Vegetto side with his opponents, Buu wore a crestfallen expression. He thought he had figured out the Saiyan’s personality and hoped that together they would unleash magnificent chaos—the kind only they were capable of. But once again, political correctness, morality, and petty squabbles had prevailed. He had long since risen above such inane concepts. These so-called good guys refused to listen to the voice of reason. His own.

He was going to have to give them a good trashing.

“Very well,” Buu sneered, flexing his muscles. “In that case, all of you can attack me at once, and I’ll teach you a lesson.”

With that, he multiplied himself, summoning numerous avatars—some more fully formed than others—which he hurled toward all the universes.

In Universe 1, the Grand Kaioshin sighed sheepishly.

“Why does it always have to end like this...”

“You dare?” the South Kaioshin snarled, tensing up.

All the fighters assumed battle stances. No universe was spared from Buu’s all-out offensive. Each was targeted by one or more of the Djinn’s avatars.

At the balcony of Universe 7, Gast Carcolh tensed. He would have to neutralize this monster again before the situation spiraled out of control. He alone had the power to render it harmless. He had done it before; he could do it again.

He raised an arm to unleash his magic onto Buu. But just as he was about to activate it, his body stiffened, preventing him from acting. Numerous sparks enveloped him, and an intense pain seized him as black lightning surrounded and struck him from all sides.

“Argh!! Wha... what...”

“Ah! Finally!” exclaimed a voice behind him.

An avatar of Buu was calmly sitting on the low wall of his patio, surrounded by floating heads. Mockingly he said to the immobilized Namekian:

“I’ve been preparing this trap for several hours. I gave you the full treatment—all the spells I could muster. You seem immune to magic, but some still found their way in. I created an anti-anti-magic spell just for this occasion, impossible for even you to resist! I simply named it... Dark Electricity!”

Gast tried to escape, but in vain. The pain was too intense, and the lightning-like force paralyzed him.

Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled apart from all sides. With horror, he saw tiny black spheres forming inside his body, destroying it from within.

“Oh, now that the electricity has paralyzed you, for a split second the antimatter holes can form! And this one is the micro-dimension, right on your back! Treacherous and very dangerous!”

Gast’s eyes went dark as life drained from him, sucked away by Buu’s various spells that had finally overcome him. His body was torn to shreds until only a fragment of his head remained.

“And just to be thorough, I’m not leaving anything behind of a Namekian this powerful!” With a wide grin, Buu pulverized Gast’s head, erasing him completely from the realm of the living.

Nearby, Trunks from Universe 12—who was being attacked by one of the Djinn’s avatars in his Super Saiyan form—let out an angry curse.

“You bastard! You call yourself powerful, but you plan sneak attacks in advance!”

Buu sneered as his remaining fragment attacked the Saiyan.

“As for Gast, yes,” he explained. “He’s the only one I feared. His magic is quite vicious; I didn’t expect it the first time. I found a way to counter it, but I prefer to be prepared. I wouldn’t want my enjoyment spoiled again. Besides, I’ll resurrect him whenever I feel like it.”

“The only one?” Vegetto reacted, stiffening. “Did you forget I’m here, you bastard!”

“Oh, for the rest of you, I promise not to use magic,” Buu replied, his grin widening.

“Are you kidding me?” Vegetto snapped, transforming into Super Saiyan 2. “I’ll remind you that I can disintegrate you with a single swipe!”

“Try it, then.”

The Saiyan from Universe 16 lunged at one of the avatars, who blocked his attack. Another Buu tried to strike from behind, but he parried the kick. With a swift motion, he destroyed both pieces using his disintegration attack. Laughing hysterically, Buu decided to take the confrontation with his arch-nemesis to the next level and sent a multitude of his fragments flying toward him.

Nearby, several other avatars were battling Son Bra and Son Gohan. The brother and sister fought fiercely to protect their loved ones. Piccolo, Trunks, and Son Goten formed a barrier to keep Pan and Videl safe. Buu was deliberately holding back so as not to push them too far. He was finally enjoying the fight!

Over in Universe 18, everyone had gathered to recreate their earlier formation. Transformed into Super Saiyan 2, Goku and Vegeta had created a protective bubble, which their loved ones joined to shield Videl and Bra inside of it.

“All together!” cried Son Goku, powering up.

“Yes, there’s strength in numbers!”

Everyone turned at the sound of the joyful voice. One of Buu’s avatars had joined their collective effort. He looked at them with a goofy grin. Behind him, Goten and Trunks fused into Gotenks, Gotenks then struck Buu violently. As the avatar disintegrated against the shield, he cried out for all to hear:

“Treason! Gotenks is attacking us, guys!”

“You bastard,” spat the Saiyan. “He doesn’t care about us. Our efforts are useless—he’s just doing whatever he wants!”

“We keep going! We won’t give up!” encouraged Son Gohan.

Throughout the arena, everyone began to resist the Djinn. The Heloites of Universe 19 had followed their neighbors’ example and formed a protective dome with their armor. Such a shield could have withstood the blast of several nuclear bombs without issue. But the Djinn used warheads like mere fireworks. This dome wouldn’t hold against him.

In Universe 13’s area, an avatar of Buu landed near Kakarotto, Nappa, and Vegeta. The bald Saiyan began to tremble as he approached and said hurriedly.

“Hey, wait! We don’t have anything against you!”

Vegeta turned as well. He knew they stood no chance. He was itching to fight the Djinn—especially after being his unwilling plaything—but if they could avoid falling into his hands...

Buu stopped and began to think.

“Indeed... but, you are Saiyans, and besides, I still want to fight you... what to do...”

Overcome by anger, Kakarotto transformed into Super Saiyan 2.

“I’m sick of this guy’s ugly mug! I’m going to smash his face in!” he shouted.

“Ah, you see? You’re outnumbered!” Buu retorted with a smirk toward a crestfallen Nappa.

With a flick of his wrist, he sent Nappa flying against the wall of their patio. Kakarotto lunged forward and delivered a blow to the back of Buu’s neck, only for it to be stopped by a purple hand the Djinn had created. The hand squeezed hard, cracking the Saiyan’s bones and drawing a cry of pain from him.

It was then that Buu’s head was violently ripped off by a powerful kick from Vegeta, who had ascended to Super Saiyan 3. Large beads of sweat streamed down his forehead, veins bulging from the intensity of his fury. He hadn’t done it to protect Kakarotto, but now they were united against a common enemy threatening all three of them. There was no way that bastard was going to humiliate them for his own amusement!

Buu’s headless body tried to strike him, but Vegeta barely dodged. He was immediately met by another complete avatar of Buu.

“Leave Headless to your buddy,” the Djinn said. “I’ll be your opponent.” He blocked Vegeta’s attack and struck him brutally with his crest. Buu hadn’t bothered creating avatars of varying power levels; they were all at maximum power. He simply adjusted the energy of each fragment to give everyone a fair chance to fight him.

In nearby Universe 12, Trunks and Android 16 were barely holding their own. Their only option was to unleash as much energy as possible to destroy Buu. Of course, it had no real effect—the Djinn was simply toying with them.

The only technique truly effective against Buu was Vegetto’s Disintegration Attack. However, it required a sufficient power level and a full understanding of the concept of destruction behind it. For now, only Vegetto and Son Bra had mastered it. But a pleasant surprise drew his attention to the balcony of Universe 18.

“Vegeta, Vegetto’s technique...” Goku said.

“Yes, it’s within our reach. We’ll deal with him more seriously.”

With a single thought, the two Saiyans glanced at each other and simultaneously transformed into Super Saiyan 3. The energy they unleashed was immense, repelling the Buus around them. In perfect sync, Goku and Vegeta began disintegrating all the Djinns in their vicinity, much to the amazement of their families. Vegetto watched them from afar with a stern expression while dealing with his own enemies.

“Well, the others seem to be keeping up. We should be able to handle ths.”

Gotenks of Universe 18, elated by his predecessors’ meteoric rise, joined the fray and unleashed powerful energy blasts on nearby Buus, convinced he had finally grasped the technique. But Buu cut his joy short by reforming right in front of him.

“Oh, come on!” he said disapprovingly. “That technique doesn’t affect me at all! For one thing, you’re not using enough power. And besides, you need to use disintegrating energy, not destructive energy!”

“What... You bastard, you’re not going to teach me how to fight you?” Gotenks snapped.

“Actually, why not? If that’s what it takes for me to get a real thrill, I can just teach it to everyone. It’ll make things far more interesting.”

Stung by the remark, Gotenks tried his attack again and destroyed Buu. But the Djinn simply reconstituted himself once more.

“Nope. Still nothing.” Buu continued. “You’re not even trying. This isn’t a Ki attack—you have to project your power directly onto my cells, my atoms! It’s like erasing me with a single blow, you know? Like brushing away a painting. It’s the same principle!”

Gotenks grew even more enraged and kept attacking. While Buu toyed with him, more and more of his fragments were disintegrated by Goku, Vegeta, Bra, and Vegetto. But he was multiplying faster than they could destroy him.

In the stands, some spectators were beginning to lose patience.

“Again?” complained one. “This tournament is just a series of interruptions. Are we ever going to see the final?”

“This isn’t the time to worry about the tournament!” Zarya called out, standing up. “We can’t tolerate these despicable acts. We all have to fight against this Buu!”

“Great, some action!” Bruce explained, cracking his knuckles.

Suddenly, a small fragment of Buu sprang up beside him, making him jump.

“Please remain seated,” the Djinn announced.

“Yes, Mr. Buu! Anything you wish, Mr. Buu!” Bruce panicked.

Satisfied, the Djinn began relaying the message to the other spectators.

“Seriously?” Zarya said, dejected.

“What? We have absolutely no chance...”

Obeying Buu’s orders, the spectators decided not to oppose him. After all, he didn’t seem so unreasonable. At least he hadn’t killed them.

Not yet.

In the Universe 8 area, the Frost Demons and their soldiers struggled in vain, quickly becoming overwhelmed and neutralized. Buu had no intention of killing anyone. Gast had been his only planned victim, just long enough to bring everyone else to heel. Once he had broken their will and their patience, he would regenerate them all and set his grand plan in motion. He would organize his own tournament—much more fun, much better structure, and with far more interesting matches!

And though he hadn’t originally planned it, since they were so determined to portray him as the multiversal threat... so be it. He would seize control of the Varga technology from Universe 1 that he hadn’t yet mastered, and he would do as he pleased with their stupid universes. They had it coming.

Above the patio of Universe 1, where the Kaioshins were resisting as best they could, the Varga control tower was also overrun by Buu’s avatars. The Djinn confronted Sei and the other organizers, taking every opportunity to mock their helplessness. Their shouting amused him greatly.

“Buu, that’s enough!” Sei exclaimed, pointing her finger at him. “We will not tolerate your behavior any longer!”

“Oh?” one of the avatars sneered. “And what do you intend to do to stop me?”

Sei held out a tape recorder and pressed a button. XXI’s voice rang out from the recording:

“Parapa, Bibi Diba Bidibu!!”

Buu stared at Sei, wide-eyed. All his nearby copies burst into laughter.

“Poor little bird,” he scoffed. “It’s not as though the tape recorder itself has magical powers. Nice try though!”

Sei tensed as the Djinn mocked her. This pink monster looked down on her, her people, everyone! There had to be someone capable of putting him in his place!

Buu smiled, wiping away a tear. It was pointless trying to read their thoughts; those birds were powerless against him. He held their technology in his hands—no risk of being propelled back into his own universe. If he couldn't control it, he could at least neutralize it.

Besides, he secretly thanked that Varga. He had almost forgotten the real reason for all this chaos. XXI had rushed back to his quarters, but Buu had already picked up everyone’s memories and recognized the form of his captor. Now that he had confirmation of his identity, he would be able to speak with him calmly—anomaly to anomaly.

One of Buu’s avatars arrived in the corridor of Universe 5. No doubt about it—the sorcerer was back.

Or rather, the supposed sorcerer.

Buu touched the door and was suddenly electrocuted. Nothing too painful, but if his hand had been human, it would have been charred. His body could have been disintegrated. Unfortunately for the dark entity, Buu was a far superior magician.

Immunizing himself against XXI’s magical powers, Buu shielded himself and stepped through the door. Once again, he found himself in a vast white space, in the center of which hung a thick, dark smoke. This time, he sensed only one presence. The other had vanished.

Two glowing eyes appeared. The cavernous voice rose into the air.

“You again? Am I going to have to lock you up again to get some peace and quiet?”

“That won’t work twice,” Buu sneered. “Besides, we don’t have to fight. We can talk, can’t we... Devourer of Worlds?”

XXI narrowed his eyes. Apparently, he wasn’t going to be able to avoid it. He would have to play along until the situation defused. He was preventing Buu from reading his thoughts, and that was just as well. He knew that, in a few moments, the Vargas would sort out the problem.