DB Multiverse

Part 5, Chapter 21.

Chapter 21

Translated by Virgilio212 & proofread by ZenBuu

In a galaxy far, far away…

On a relatively average-sized planet, whose population had never experienced any extraordinary events in its entire history...

All of it? No, an individual with a rosy, muscular body, motionless in the middle of a lush jungle, was about to shatter that tranquility in a breathtaking way.

With a broad smile, the individual took a deep breath. Then, he slowly raised his arm, brought two fingers together and...

SNAP

An immense palace suddenly appeared amidst the dense vegetation, brightening the landscape under the yellowish sky. In the middle of a vast, natural garden of colorful and sculptural plants, the building stood like a jewel, shining intensely; its marble and reinforced ceramic walls dominated the landscape in all their splendor. Five large towers topped the structure. Beyond a grand vestibule, accessible by a long paved walkway, one could glimpse a gigantic hall and, for the most attentive observers, a simple throne.

Satisfied, Buu flew away and admired his work. He couldn't explain why, but that particular project had occupied his mind for days. He finally felt at home. Although he considered the entire universe his home, the place that came closest to that idea was still the small blue planet called Earth. But for his new and grand project, he needed something extraordinary. Something imposing. Magnificent in the eyes of the inhabitants of that world, that galaxy, of the entire universe.

It was time to kill two birds with one stone: to become the pinnacle of existence in every aspect and to have fun in a thousand and one possible ways. Now, he was capable of it. He possessed unparalleled powers!

Four months earlier.

Sixteen weeks had passed since Buu's visit to Planet Namek.

Meanwhile, Buu had departed back to Icarion. The Djinn didn't dwell on the details of his departure with his apprentice and redoubled his efforts in each of his objectives. By training Thorn, Buu became stronger in terms of magic and power. He progressed enough in mastering his body to divide himself into about thirty parts. He was able to control them simultaneously and make them perform multiple tasks while maintaining control. He had many difficulties at the beginning, but his progress was exceptionally fast because he was motivated, and his constantly developing magical abilities helped him greatly.

Meanwhile, Buu had been diligently studying the Dragon Balls. After a month of intense work, he managed to reactivate them and control their power. However, their origin and function still eluded him, even with the Great Old One possessing them. It took him another two months to fully control them and fuse them with his own magical powers.

When you became able to grant wishes, you thought about how you would like to do it. Now, he could do anything with a snap of his fingers. Everything already seemed perfectly natural to him…

SNAP

In the middle of Icarion's library, a ton of chocolate bars fell from the ceiling, causing chaos among the assembled readers. Everyone glared angrily at Buu as he rolled on the floor. He simply wanted to conjure chocolate bars onto a table, but the result was only partially satisfactory. His power was still imprecise, but that wasn't the main point.

His power was working.

After mastering his newfound abilities and spending his time granting crazy, inconsequential wishes, Buu went to Earth, where he was greeted by a rather displeased and hostile Earth god.

"I know about the heinous crime you committed, Buu," Dendê said furiously. "I cannot forgive you for the murder of my people. If you have an ounce of decency, leave this planet and leave us in peace!"

"Calm down, Dende," Buu replied apologetically. "I've come to redeem myself. I promised never to harm Earthlings; however, I made no such promise to the rest of the universe. But I regret attacking your people when you were so kind to me. I've come to ask for your forgiveness and atone for my mistake."

"And how do you intend to remedy this?" Dendê replied sternly. "My people have already been resurrected once; they cannot return by Shenlong's powers. As for Porunga, he disappeared after his unspeakable deeds on my home planet."

Buu flashed a mysterious smile at Dende and raised his arm. The Namekian recoiled in concern, but the Djinn simply brought his fingers together and snapped them.

SNAP

The people of Dendê appeared around them, emerging from all over the celestial platform. They all looked at each other, perplexed. As for the god of Earth, he only had to widen his eyes a little more for them to fall to the ground.

"There, I've granted your wish," Buu sneered. "Who needs Shenlong and Porunga when you have me? Now that I've got what I wanted, I promise that, just like the Earthlings, your people will also be safe, on the sole condition that they never create Dragon Balls again. In any case, the Grand Elder belongs to me now."

Recovering from the initial shock of his resurrection, the Namekians heard these words and stared at him, trembling. Buu merely smiled slightly at them and turned his attention back to Dende, still shaken by what was happening.

"I'm in a good mood, so I'm ready to grant you another wish. Tell me, Kami, what do you wish for?"

"How... How did you do that?" Dendê stammered. "How many wishes like that can you grant?"

"It took a lot of training," Buu replied. "I also don't suffer any side effects. The knowledge of the Grand Patriarch and Old Kaioshin has been very beneficial to me. I've mastered Porunga's magic, even if the essence of its nature still eludes me. But I've transcended its powers: I can accomplish anything within the dragon's capabilities, without time limits or the number of wishes. Strangely, I can't make any wishes that affect me. I must be too strong for myself, haha!"

Dende and the Namekians remained silent while Buu, in turn, laughed. After composing himself, the Djinn smiled maliciously and repeated:

"I grant you one more wish, Dendê. Take advantage of this opportunity, for it will not come again so easily. What do you wish for?"

Discreetly, he glanced at the Namekians, and Dende followed his gaze. Understanding the implication, Dende grasped the obvious and bowed before Buu.

"Please, Buu, take my people back to Namek…"

"At your service!" Buu exclaimed, snapping his fingers.

Immediately, the Namekians disappeared, and Dende could confirm in his heart that his people were still alive, somewhere in the universe, certainly at home. Buu had kept his word and was telling the truth: he could now use extraordinary mystical magic.

"Well, then I'm going, Dendê," exclaimed Buu, flying into the air. "I still have things to do before putting my grand plan into action!"

"What's that?" Dendê shouted quickly before Buu left. "What do you intend to do now?"

Buu looked at him with an unreadable expression, then gave a slight smile. There was no point in hiding his grand plans from the one he considered one of his true friends.

"The era of the sacred dragons is over, my dear Kami. The quest for the coveted Dragon Balls has come to an end! Earthlings and Namekians no longer hold a monopoly on wishes. I will offer the rest of the universe the chance to see their dreams come true as well! I will be known as a genie who grants a thousand wishes and, finally, I will experience a meteoric rise to the pinnacle of existence! And, to achieve this, I will have fun conducting some experiments..."

With that, Buu disappeared, leaving a stunned and trembling Dende alone in the center of the Lookout. The Namekian was uncertain about the future of the universe. What catastrophe would Buu be capable of unleashing?

Later, Buu dedicated most of his time to controlling the various parts of his body from increasingly greater distances. Now, he could be in different distant systems without it wearing him down. It was still difficult for him to act independently with each part, but he had already mastered the aspect of "collective mind." All his parts were connected in a single mind, but at the same time, they possessed their own autonomy and could operate independently of each other. If one of them sneezed, the others wouldn't repeat the action... most of the time.

Thus, Buu could carry out his multiple projects simultaneously: for example, one part of his was dedicated exclusively to Thorn's training. Another part involved continuous magic practice.

Three others were busy continuing the research on Icarus, because, even with several versions of it, the task remained colossal. The rest had left to explore neighboring systems, as well as others further away.

Unlike Cell, Buu did not possess a "core." Each fragment was a complete Buu in itself. Whether it was an entire body traveling through space or a small head floating among the shelves of a bookstore on Icarion, Buu was fully present, sharing the knowledge of all the other parts in real time. Distance didn't matter. He even left a small part of himself at the other end of the universe, hidden from everyone's view. If all his bodies were destroyed, he would reappear from that fragment, unharmed. He therefore achieved a state very close to invulnerability.

And finally, in his fabulous plans, he had included a very tempting cherry on top of this already immense and successful cake: a universal greeting service!

On a planet located on the border between two large galaxies, one of Buu's fragments established itself in a magnificent palace that it conjured using its newly acquired powers, and it didn't take long for the news to spread to countless worlds. From Icarion and its countless trading centers, the rumor traveled through hundreds of systems at an impressive speed. Many civilizations possessed access to space technology. For many, these were remnants of Frieza's empire, which had colonized and developed a large number of these planets.

Now, thousands of sentient beings knew of the emergence of an all-powerful Djinn capable of granting any wish, and for various reasons, they prepared for a long journey towards this utopian world that promised them countless wonders. But they were unaware of the dark side of this world: what awaited them was the longed-for paradise… or a terrible hell.

Before that immense palace, whose unusual architecture resembled the grand structures of the eastern regions of the Earth, a crowd gathered before the closed gates. All were captivated by the beauty emanating from that place, resplendent with a thousand lights and vibrant colors. They overflowed with anticipation for this new mystery, filled with promises of hope, but they dared not attempt to enter the domain, which seemed closed to them for the time being. It was said that this Djinn was a mythical creature that had once devastated hundreds of worlds and that, in recent years, had spread as much misfortune as goodness across various planets. They knew, therefore, that it was best not to challenge it.

After an interminable wait of several days, the infamous Buu himself appeared atop a portal pillar, facing thousands of admiring yet fearful gazes. While offering them an enigmatic smile, he cast a spell so that everyone could hear him from miles away, though his voice only reached those directly in front of him.

"Welcome, dear travelers and pilgrims! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Boo, and I am an explorer. During my travels through the universe, I developed my powers and became a magician of unparalleled talent! As I wish to share them with you, I decided to create this place where you can ask me for any wish, and I will grant it! Here is proof of my words…"

He snapped his fingers and the sky suddenly darkened, provoking exclamations from the crowd. With a sarcastic smile, Buu changed the color of the sky several times before restoring it and continued on his way.

"However, I warn you, mortals! I have my own rules, and if you enter here, it will be with full knowledge of them. I will judge your wishes according to my own criteria. If I consider your wish worthy of being granted, I will do so. However, if it does not suit me, you will be killed on the spot. Only the brave, who do not fear the prospect of death, should take the first step. Of course, everyone can try to present themselves before me, even the cowards. But, from the moment you tell me your wish, you cannot contest the outcome in any way. Be warned!"

A shiver of horror ran through the crowd. Many questioned whether their dream was worth such a risk. Several dozen people chose to give up. But a few hundred remained, ready to try their luck.

Buu smiled and continued talking.

"Very well. Here is the procedure. I will be waiting for you at the back of the palace. One by one, you will present yourselves before me and declare your wishes. Standing in line is mandatory. Anyone who uses violence or tries to cut in line will be killed immediately. Patience is a virtue you will need to demonstrate. However, I guarantee the safety of everyone in line. You will be under my personal protection. If this is clear to each of you, welcome to my home, and I invite you to join me inside!"

Seated on his throne, Buu could see the arrival of the first beggars. He had designed this palace with magic, so the interior was much larger than it appeared from the outside. The last in line would easily take half a day to get there.

Buu had his own expectations for this new endeavor. He wanted to test the limits of the wishes he could grant. He wanted to discover new talents worthy of being absorbed, and he wouldn't hesitate to do so. But above all, it was this profound sense of superiority that dominated him: he held power over the life and death of these poor mortal souls. He would be able to experiment with them and change their lives in countless ways, according to his desires. He himself would determine the notions of good and evil and redefine the very concept of morality. He didn't consider himself a god, for he hated that status. But he was close to it. He was a genie. He was a Djinn.

Finally, the first one reached him. Bowing before the Djinn, the alien expressed his wish:

"Great Buu, I wish to become immortal."

"Of course, I should have known that would be the first wish I'd hear," sighed the Djinn.

To fulfill this kind of wish, Buu planned to probe the minds of those he spoke to. Therefore, Buu saw no good intentions in this individual's heart. Only a desire like Frieza's on Namek: to be impossible to kill and not have to face the fear of death.

"A classic and deadly boring wish," he said finally. "Rejected."

He pointed his index finger at the individual and annihilated him with a burst of energy. Those waiting behind him trembled with fear, and Buu licked his lips. He was already having a lot of fun with this little game.

The next one moved forward reluctantly. Buu could feel a deep desire to run away, but something compelled him to continue, despite what he had just witnessed.

"Gr... Great Buu," he stammered. "I wish for my wife to be cured of an incurable disease that has afflicted her for a long time and causes her terrible pain. I beg you..."

Searching through his thoughts, Buu felt compassion for that being whose heart was sincere and pure. Would he grant his wish so easily?

"Alright, since you were my first positive wish, I won't mess with you. There, your wish has been granted."

SNAP

Buu snapped his fingers and the wish was granted. The alien looked at him, his eyes filled with tears and gratitude. Overflowing with thankfulness, he withdrew under the more or less smiling gazes of those who waited, while Buu watched him intently, absorbed in thought.

Fulfilling requests or eliminating the beggar—that was great. It was the principle of his new role. But that was too easy. He wasn't going to do that all the time.

He had many things to experience now.

In the months that followed, Buu granted thousands of wishes. Many perished at the hands of the Djinn, angered by wishes he considered too trivial or motivated by reasons he deemed tedious. At the same time, he granted many others, often driven by a surge of empathy and understanding. He also enjoyed spreading good news and bringing joy to deserving people.

As he had so often proclaimed, he wished to be a benevolent genie to innocent and pure souls and a wicked demon to perverse hearts. But he also enjoyed tormenting the weak and strengthening the powerful. He was a being of contradictions, whose primary desire was to have fun and be the best in every situation.

To vary his approach, Buu interpreted many wishes in his own way and often imposed strict conditions for their fulfillment.

Just another day…

"Oh, Lord Buu," an alien humbly introduced himself. "I implore you to grant my wish. On my planet, an eternal war rages. For centuries, our two nations have done nothing but violently confront each other. Please bring peace between our peoples."

"Hmm, I understand…" said Buu. "Understood. I will destroy one of the two nations then. I'll let you choose which one."

"What... No!" exclaimed the man, shocked. "I'm only asking for peace, not extermination!"

"You hate each other and can't resolve your dispute on your own. If you are incapable of finding peace, it will naturally come with the disappearance of one of you. If that doesn't suit you, I grant you the right to renounce your request and leave here alive."

The individual remained silent, torn by a choice of conscience that Buu savored with sadistic pleasure.

"So?" Buu asked. "What's your decision?"

"Please eliminate the enemy nation," the individual said, his voice trembling.

"And... that's it," Buu said with a mocking smile, snapping his fingers. "Your people are now the sole masters of your world. Go."

As he left, dejected, the individual in line who was preparing to take his place said to him disdainfully:

"You are a truly horrible person."

Buu calmly watched the heavy-hearted, guilt-ridden individual disappear from his field of vision.

"Hehehe." he chuckled softly.

Another day.

A very mysterious entity appeared before Buu, much to his surprise.

"Genie, I am an immortal being who lives on the planet Pandora. I cannot die and I wish to disappear from this existence once and for all."

"This is... fascinating!" exclaimed Buu, leaning back in his throne to examine it more closely. "Your immortality is unique. It's as if your soul is frozen in time, or something... In my opinion, destroying you down to the molecular level would be pointless. You simply cannot die."

"Actually, I've tried everything, even throwing myself into a star, but nothing works."

"His soul can't be sent to the other world, that's really strange…" Buu murmured. "Alright. I won't waste my time trying to destroy you. It would take years and maybe lead nowhere. I doubt my magical powers would be of any use. But I have a foolproof way to make you sleep forever."

"What method is that?"

"I can absorb you. You will become an integral part of me. Through this, I will be able to fulfill your wish."

"Will I... be conscious?"

"No."

"In that case, genie, absorb me."

With that, the immortal from Pandora was absorbed by Buu, who immediately studied his new acquisition. Unfortunately, the characteristic of this strange phenomenon did not transfer to Buu as an ability. He was unable to obtain the same immortality. Therefore, he could not study it at will. But it wasn't a great loss. This immortal could finally rest in peace.

Another day.

"Oh great genie, my home planet is dying. Its natural resources are dwindling, and my people are suffering from a lack of water. I implore you, save us from the drought!"

"You just need to change planets," Buu retorted, frowning. "Perhaps you'd like me to teleport you somewhere else?"

"No, genie, we cannot part with our beloved planet. I will give you my life in exchange for your help!"

"Your life means nothing to me. Your desires are worthless and a waste of my time."

"I am ready to give you my soul and my whole being, save my people, I beg you!" pleaded the alien.

"Your soul?" Buu repeated.

The genie thought for a moment.

"Interesting… Very well. Therefore, I will give your soul the fate I see fit, and I don't want to hear any complaints."

"Oh, thank you so much, great genie, thank you so much!"

SNAP

"There, the clouds have returned to your world," said Buu. "The water is flowing freely. And now you are immortal."

"Thank you again, great… What?" interrupted the alien.

"You are immortal," Buu repeated with a sarcastic smile. "If you want the water to last on your planet, your mission is to ensure stable and peaceful relations among its inhabitants. You must protect your world for a thousand years. If you fail, the water will disappear forever, and you will live with that burden for eternity. Now, get to work."

Hearing the firmness in the Djinn's voice, the alien screamed in terror and fled, his soul consumed by torment. He didn't notice Buu's satisfied smile.

Another day...

A small, seemingly female creature with feathers and a beak presented itself to the Djinn. Its large glasses weighed almost as much as the pressure of that encounter.

"Can I take a picture?" she asked, impressed.

"Is that what you want?" Buu replied sarcastically.

He listened to her words, just as he studied her intentions, and knew perfectly well that this was not what she wanted.

"No, no, no!" she screamed in a panic. "It's to add to my thesis."

Buu was surprised, but refused to read her mind. Quick answers weren't fun.

"My wish is... can I take the photo first? That way, if I... if I... die... I've programmed a machine that will put the photo in the thesis and publish it, so at least..."

"What are you talking about? What thesis?"

"Well... I'm here for the final stage of my thesis... "The Reasons and Impact of Buu's Wishes on Post-Ice Demon Society." I've studied thousands of wishes that you've granted and refused. So, I already know that you refused the cunning wishes, like "I want you to kill yourself" and "I want you to create a stone so heavy that even you can't lift it"... But... to complete my thesis... I needed to conduct the final experiment personally!"

"Hmm... You have the courage to risk your life for this."

"It's very difficult to get a permanent job..."

She turned her back to him and held up a device in front of her. A click sounded, and a selfie of a trembling Varga with the all-powerful Djinn behind her was transmitted over the radio waves to her university. She looked at him again.

"So... um... Sir... Boo... My wish is this... Please deny my wish!"

There was a silence of a few seconds. The next person in line said, "Huh??" Buu's eyes widened.

"I understand... but that's a paradoxical phrase. It's like asking to go up by going down, or to make 2 equal to 1. It's complete verbal nonsense."

"But going down to go up was already done by astronaut MC Escher during his antigravity experiment, and you refused the 2=1 request two months ago."

"Hehe… yes, a budding agent of chaos hoping to unleash the destruction of the universe if I changed the rules… I remember saying, "In that case, two of your cells become one," and so on, until only one cell of his remained. We laughed a lot. Well, I laughed mostly."

The Varga kept her attention fixed on the Djinn.

"Hmm? Oh, what am I doing? Well, sorry, I don't have a surprising answer. But I do have a quantum answer. Did you know that there are infinite universes? For every possible action, there is every possible resolution represented in different universes. For example, the famous "Freeza's Cat." They say that one day, an Ice Demon killed a cat, but it survived. In fact, that cat is both dead and alive at the same time, because in an infinite number of universes it survived and in another infinite number, it died. So, I also refused and accepted your wish. In the universes where I refused it, you died, because that's what happens when I refuse a wish. In the others, including this one, I accepted it, and the effect of that acceptance is the refusal in those other universes."

The student felt more at ease when she realized she was in the correct universe.

And so began Buu's great journey to grant all kinds of wishes to the inhabitants of this universe he loved so much. Most of the time, Buu used the power he acquired through the Dragon Balls to fulfill his wishes. Sometimes, he used his own magical abilities, natural or acquired by force from Old Kai and other wizards he encountered during his space exploration, to vary his approach and enhance his mystical powers.