"Is that so?" Goku said, looking at his son.
Due to the world's peace, Chi-Chi didn't want Gohan to train in martial arts.
"This child combines the heart of an Earthling with the blood of a Saiyan." Kaiser said.
"A peaceful Saiyan has even greater potential."
"If you can, train him well."
Kaiser patted Goku's shoulder.
Dragon Ball was a universe of extraordinary individuals.
The strongest could reach superhuman levels.
Among the second-generation Saiyans, Gohan's potential was unmatched.
With occasional bursts, he could surpass everyone.
He was a born warrior.
"Saiyan?" Goku caught the odd term in Kaiser's words.
Earthling and Saiyan.
Thinking of his tail, Goku began to suspect something.
Over the past decade, Kaiser had been traveling the cosmos.
He might know about Goku's origins.
Goku clearly remembered being found by his grandpa.
"Hm?" Goku suddenly looked into the distance.
A powerful aura had landed on Earth.
"Such an evil aura." Goku said, frowning.
"Your brother's here." Kaiser said with a smile.
"Brother?" Goku blinked, confused.
"Did you run into something out in space?" He asked, brow furrowed.
He sensed there was a secret to his origins.
"The guy coming will tell you." Kaiser said.
Just as he spoke, Raditz's figure appeared above Kame House.
"What's that?"
"A tail?"
Goku's eyes narrowed as he saw the tail behind Raditz.
"I've found you, Kakarot." Raditz said.
"Have you forgotten your mission?"
"Why are the people on this planet still alive?"
If Raditz remembered correctly, Goku's mission was to wipe out this planet's population once he grew up.
A low-power planet like this was only fit to be sold as a resource to higher civilizations.
But now, the people here were still alive.
"Mission?" Goku said.
"You're a Saiyan?"
He recalled Kaiser's mention of Saiyans.
"That's right, you…" Raditz paused.
"Wait, you don't know me?"
"Did you hit your head or something?"
Raditz's expression darkened as Goku looked at him like a stranger.
"I don't remember you." Goku admitted.
"But we must be kin."
"I used to have a tail too."
"I see." Raditz said.
"Since you failed your mission, as your older brother, I'll complete it for you."
"Once the slaughter on this planet is done, you'll come with me."
"With Planet Vegeta destroyed, there aren't many Saiyans left in the universe."
"You'll be a valuable asset."
At Raditz's words, most of the group's faces paled.
Only Kaiser and Bulma remained unfazed.
Bulma was still holding Gohan.
Kaiser was unbothered because of his strength, and Bulma because she'd witnessed Kaiser's power.
"You're no match for me." Goku said.
"I suggest you drop that idea."
"Earth is far stronger than you think."
Sensing Raditz's aura, Goku found it strong but nothing special.
At best, it was on par with Piccolo.
To the current Goku, Raditz was far too weak.
"You, with a mere power level of 100?" Raditz scoffed, his face darkening.
He flashed forward, ready to strike.
Goku moved in an instant, landing a punch to Raditz's stomach.
"Impossible…" Raditz gasped, clutching his abdomen in pain.
He stared at Goku in disbelief.
Defeated in a single blow.
"You can hide your power level?" Raditz said, realizing the truth.
A power level of 100 couldn't have taken him down so fast.
"If you can't control your ki, my power level is about four or five times yours." Goku Ascertaining Goku's strength through the scouter, his words reached Vegeta and Nappa on another planet.
"Hey, did I hear that right?" Nappa said.
"Kakarot, a low-class warrior, trained on Earth to surpass a power level of 5,000?"
Nappa was stunned.
Raditz's instant defeat was undeniable proof.
If Kakarot really had a power level over 5,000, he'd surpassed Nappa.
And Nappa was an elite warrior.
"Earth seems to be hiding some secrets." Vegeta said, biting into a wild fruit.
His eyes gleamed.
Any place that could boost his power was worth visiting.
"Raditz, give the scouter to Kakarot." Vegeta's voice came through the device.
"Yes, I understand…" Raditz said, his face grim.
Being instantly defeated was unacceptable.
"They're the Saiyan squad under Frieza, right?" Bulma whispered to Kaiser.
"They don't seem as strong as that other team we met."
"True." Kaiser replied.
"The team under Cooler had power levels ranging from 70,000 to over 100,000."
"Frieza's Saiyan squad? The strongest, Vegeta, is only at 18,000."
"Big gap."
"I see." Bulma nodded.
No wonder Raditz didn't seem that strong.
Meanwhile, Goku finalized his challenge with Vegeta.
"Fine! One year from now, I'll be waiting on Earth." Goku said, removing the scouter.
His eyes burned with fighting spirit.
"I didn't know there were guys like that in the universe." He said.
His battle lust had reached its peak.
"Go find Kami." Kaiser said.
"Your current strength won't match the Saiyans."
"Kami will show you a clear path."
"As for Raditz, I suggest you disable him."
"With Senzu Beans around, it's no issue."
Kaiser glanced at Raditz.
The pressure was overwhelming.
Raditz broke into a cold sweat.
"I understand." Goku nodded.
If he was going to train, Raditz would need to be kept in check.
While Raditz wasn't strong to him, to Earthlings, his power was crushing.
Bringing Goku back to focus, Kaiser took Bulma back to West City.
He prepared to return to his main world.
Ten years in the Dragon Ball world had yielded little progress in his small universe.
Even his ki training had stalled.
He'd been at peace too long.
He needed a battle to reignite his fighting spirit.
"System, in the worlds where I've set anchor points, does time freeze when I leave?" Kaiser asked, summoning the Heroic Spirit System.
Ding! "Yes." The system replied.
"It's achieved through a dream-like state."
"The Throne of Heroes acts as a transit hub."
"Whether you travel or return, time remains frozen."
Hearing the system's words, Kaiser had no more doubts.
With anchor points set, he could return anytime.
His thoughtform turned into a streak of light, soaring toward the sky.
Sanctuary, Libra Temple Weapon Hall
His thoughtform merged with his physical body.
The small universe of the mid-Eighth Sense began to surge.
Golden light radiated from the Weapon Hall, spreading across the Sanctuary.
"What's that?"
"Mid-Eighth Sense?"
"That guy Kaiser broke through again?"
Sensing the mid-Eighth Sense small universe, Itia and Cresto exchanged glances from the Star Observation Tower.
The shock in their eyes was unmistakable.
They, too, were only at the mid-Eighth Sense.
The late-Eighth Sense was still a small step away.
It would take them roughly fifty years to reach it.
Yet Kaiser had caught up to their two centuries of progress.
"Bringing Kaiser back from the earth was my best decision." Itia said, gazing at the golden small universe rising from the Libra Temple.
At nineteen, mid-Eighth Sense.
Kaiser had become the undisputed strongest on earth.
No exceptions.
With divine blood enhancing him, neither Itia nor Cresto could match him.
Moreover, Kaiser had mastered most of the Zodiac's constellation techniques at the Star Observation Tower.
Aside from a few unique techniques, he was proficient in nearly all.
The Pisces techniques required toxic blood, an objective limitation.
Kaiser had grown into the Sanctuary's top combatant.
"As expected, there's a mismatch between my thoughtform and physical body." Kaiser frowned.
Ten years in the Dragon Ball world had caused issues.
The thoughtform's strength had surpassed his body's.
Without divine blood reinforcing his physique, this return could have torn his body apart.
"I can't stay in one world for more than five years." He realized.
"Otherwise, I'll lose sync with my body."
"If I return during a fight, it'll be trouble."
Kaiser tossed a Senzu Bean into his mouth.
The physical tears healed, but the sense of discord lingered.
"Kaiser, what did you do?" Athena's voice echoed in his mind.
"How did your soul and small universe change so drastically in an instant?"
In her divine space, Athena was startled awake by Kaiser's transformation.
The changes transmitted through her divinity shocked her.
From her perspective, Kaiser had merely closed his eyes.
Yet when he opened them, everything about him had shifted dramatically.
"It's my secret." Kaiser said.
"When I break through to the Ninth Sense and form my Godhead, you might understand."
Such a massive change couldn't be hidden from Athena.
They were connected, after all.
"You're truly special." Athena said, giving him a deep look but not pressing further.
Whatever secrets he held, she didn't pry.
Athena only wished for him to grow stronger.
As her chosen ally, she wouldn't probe his secrets.
"I can only say, this is our hope for transcendence." Kaiser told her.
With the Throne of Heroes, he wasn't alone.
Once he became a god, the Throne would unlock new permissions.
He could recruit his own Heroic Spirits.
Many beings from the worlds he'd visited were marked.
They would become members of the Throne of Heroes.
"Your soul is too powerful." Athena said.
"I don't know what your thoughtform went through."
"But your current state isn't right."
"You'd better hone yourself."
"I know." Kaiser replied.
"But with the Zodiac Array stabilizing the earth, where should I go?"
"Hell." Athena said without hesitation.
"Hell?" Kaiser said, surprised.
That was a demonic abyss even stronger than the Underworld.
"Yes, Hell." Athena confirmed.
"Hell is vast, sealing countless demon gods."
"It's an ideal training ground."
"As long as you don't venture too deep, I can protect you."
Athena offered her advice.
"Alright." Kaiser nodded.
Hell, the demonic realm.
The plane of Lucifer.
Home to the Seven Deadly Sins and the seventy-two demon gods.
"The Zodiac Array is strong, but it can't withstand constant assaults from those demon gods." Athena said.
"I suggest you station yourself at Hell's edge."
"Fight those demon gods."
"It'll help you greatly."
Athena spoke again.
"I understand." Kaiser nodded.
He stood and headed toward the Pope's Hall.
He needed to inform Shion of his departure from the Sanctuary.
"What?" Shion said, stunned.
"You're going to guard the Demon Realm?"
"That's right." Kaiser replied.
"Not all the demon gods in the Demon Realm are asleep."
"It's one of the weakest points of the Zodiac Array."
"Someone needs to stand guard."
"I'm the best choice."
"But the Sanctuary has no Gold Cloths available…" Shion said, frowning.
"Any Silver Cloth will do." Kaiser said.
"My current strength isn't limited by Cloths."
"If needed, I can use my small universe to elevate a Silver Cloth to a Gold Cloth."
"Though I'd need Aphnir's help to repair it afterward."
Kaiser wasn't concerned about the Cloth.
"I see." Shion said.
"Be careful."
Shion knew Kaiser's decisions were final.
He could only nod in agreement.
After bidding farewell to his comrades, Kaiser headed toward the dimension where Hell resided.
"It's a shame." Athena's voice echoed.
"The Sanctuary still has one Gold Cloth."
"But it's sealed."
"Another Gold Cloth?" Kaiser said, recalling a legendary tale.
"Yes." Athena said.
"But due to the gods' fears, that Cloth was permanently sealed."
"Even I can't unseal it."
She sounded regretful.
"The Ophiuchus Cloth?" Kaiser asked.
He knew exactly which Cloth it was.
"Correct." Athena confirmed.
"Now, the Ophiuchus Gold Cloth can only manifest as a downgraded Silver Cloth."
"That Cloth requires a demigod to wield it."
"Kaiser, you'd be the most suitable for it."
Athena wasn't surprised Kaiser knew of the Ophiuchus Gold Cloth.
His secrets were too many to count.
She didn't pry.
"Before the next Holy War, I'll find a way to activate the Ophiuchus Gold Cloth." Kaiser said, his eyes sharp.
"We'll face a chaotic war against the gods anyway."
"Whether the gods fear it or not doesn't matter."
"It'll be a battle rivaling the first Holy War."
"The Gold Cloths of the Mythological Era were divine Cloths, second only to God Cloths." Athena said.
"But in the first Holy War, their power was too overwhelming."
"So the gods stripped the gems that powered the Cloths."
"If you get the chance, you could retrieve the gem for the Gold Cloth."
"But to wield it, you'd need at least the Eighth Sense."
"We'll have to take it slowly."
Kaiser had heard rumors of this.
"The gem's in the Heavens, isn't it?" He asked.
"I don't know." Athena admitted.
"But it's likely in the Heavens."
"Since Zeus vanished, much about the Heavens has become a mystery."
"Even Apollo doesn't know."
Athena hadn't been to the Heavens in ages.
Since the great war of the Mythological Era, many gods hadn't returned there.
"The Heavens…" Kaiser frowned.
The Heavens were a formidable foe.
The Celestial Warriors, clad in Celestial Cloths, were nearly all demigods.
Their strength was absurd.
As they spoke, Kaiser reached the entrance to the Hell dimension.
Roar!
The demon gods' roars echoed from beyond the space.
The Zodiac Array flickered…
***
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