“You’re sure you feel normal?” Hal inspected the interior of Jor-EL’s new form. It contained countless tiny organisms, all arranged to mimic an organic body and its functions. “No changes to your sense of self?”
“Not that I can perceive,” Jol-EL shook his head as he returned to his feet. “Why is there so much concern?”
Hal waved to the Clockwork and Jor-EL followed with his gaze. The dial remained set to ‘Very Fine,’ untouched since its last activation. The cyborg Jor-EL raised an eyebrow and frowned.
“I see…” Jor-El closed his eyes, hand on his chest. He remained silent for several moments, while Hal kept the others back. “I can detect no anomalies, but it may be best if Dr. Brief took a look as well.”
“That’s probably for the best,” Hal nodded and let the Doctor step forward, scanner in hand. “You should remain in the lab until we’re certain there weren’t any side effects… I’ll be needing this!”
Hal snatched up the refined capsule ship and gave Jor-EL a final once over. His visions of the future showed no danger, the cyborg would even allow his own death if it was demanded of him.
“Obey Bulma and her Father until I return, it could be a few days,” Hal glanced at Ran's bowl. The tiny woman remained in her meditations, face smooth as glass. “If the water fairy wakes up, tell her that I’ll be back soon.”
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“This is…” Hal scratched at his head as a tide of capsule smoke off-gassed into space. A vast orb emerged from within, half the size of a moon and formed of Kryptonian crystal. “...SCP-914 truly is incredible.”
The crystalline sphere grew larger in his vision as Hal closed on a massive hanger bay. The air was held in place by magnetic fields, but his body passed through without concern. His vision scanned the layout of the vessel as he pathed out a way to the bridge.
“This thing isn’t exactly stealthy, but hopefully it’s got the juice to get me to the Sacred World of the Kai’s,” Hal eyed the phantom drive at the core of the spacecraft. It took up more than half of the interior, a mighty singularity that pulsed with blackened light. “I hope they don’t try to shoot me from the sky…”
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“Thank you Kibito, it smells delicious!” The Supreme Kai held a cup of tea beneath his nose and inhaled the fragrant mist gathered on its surface. “Has there been any interesting news from the mortal realm?”
“Indeed there has,” Kibito’s permanent frown deepened, brow furrowed as he nodded his head. “Both King Cold and Lord Cooler have been assassinated, while Frieza has gone into hiding. I am uncertain who the killer is, but I…”
A new star bloomed in the heavens, heralded by an intense flare of white. A crystal-blue sphere hung in orbit around the Word of the Kai’s, birthed from the void without warning. Kibito gaped at the sky, eyes wide as the figure of a mortal emerged from within and dispelled the vessel with a wave of his hand.
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“It seems that we have a visitor,” Supreme Kai squinted at the mortal’s approach as he rose into the air. “Let us greet this unusual Mortal, I would be interested to learn how his vessel reached this place.”
“Supreme Kai!” Kibito dashed on his heels, face stern. “This world is forbidden, sacred… this mortal should be punished for his transgressions!”
“You’re welcome to try,” The white haired mortal smiled at Kibito, unconcerned with the Kai attendant's wrathful glare. “But unless you're as strong as the Chubby Majin Buu, I don’t think you’ll have much luck!”
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“YOU WANT TO WHAT!” Kibito snarled from beside the Supreme Kai. “The z-sword isn’t a thing for mortal hands, your disrespect knows no limits!”
Hal sighed and released his hold on his ki, his kio-ken at fifty percent. Yellow-white flame erupted from beneath his skin, translucent fire that coloured the world in gold. The massive planet trembled, shaken to the core as his unrestrained energy rolled through the air.
“My hands may be mortal, but my power stands above the Kai’s of any universe,” Hal shook his head as Kibito fell back, horrified by his release of power. The Supreme Kai trembled as the waves of ki buffeted against them and Hal sighed. “I am not an enemy of the gods, but an ally.”
His biofield reached out and stilled his display, a gentle pull that returned the flame to just under his skin. Smile on his face, Hal extended a hand toward the shaken Kai’s and pulled Kibito to his feet.
“I know that there are hidden dangers in the universe, Majin Buu among them,” I hope that the z-sword can help me expand my power to the point where nothing can threaten the mortal world again.”
“I… I suppose there’s no harm in letting you try,” the Supreme Kai shook himself, his eyes filled with genuine interest. “The mortal world has certainly lacked a guardian, but the z-sword has resisted all efforts to move it.”
“Supreme Kai!” Kibito sank to one knee as he shot Hal a scowl. “Please, listen to reason, this mortal…”
“This mortal is stronger than the two of us combined!” The Supreme Kai gave his attendant a stern look and waved away his complaints. “He’s right, should Majin Buu return, we will need a champion to face him.”
The Kai’s attendant only deepened his frown, but held his tongue. The Supreme Kai smiled and waved to the north, before he led the way forward. Hal returned an honest grin of his own, excited to set loose the old Kai and unlock one of the most broken transformations in Dragon Ball.
The “Ultimate” form that Gohan attained granted a thousand-times multiplier. Not only that, but it was completely stable and stackable with other transformations. It was wasted on the original Goku’s son for much of the plot, but Hal intended to put it to good use.
“Hey Supreme Kai,” Hal drifted at the Kai’s side, eyes focused on the sword capped plateau in the distance. “Why did you never intervene against Frieza and his family? They destroyed so many worlds, lowered the number of mortals to abysmal levels.”
“It is not a Kai’s place to interfere,” Kibito huffed, positioned at his Master’s left elbow. “The mortal realm cannot be ruled directly by the gods, it is forbidden!”
“Forbidden-forbidden,” Hal rolled his eyes as they set down on the z-sword’s plateau. He reached out, his Kio-ken pushed to its limit. “Nothing is absolute, and an untended universe can lead to stagnation.”
Hal ripped the sword free with a single, smooth pull. Both Kai stood slack jawed, too shocked to stop him as he grabbed hold of the tip of the blade. He pulled with all his might, a wrench that snapped the rigid metal.
“What have you done, you mortal barbarian?” Kabito staggered to his knees, mouth slack as he trembled. “You’ve destroyed the greatest weapon in the universe!”
The Supreme Kai was at a loss for words. His mouth opened and closed without sound, a fish out of water as Hal cast the sword to the ground. A whisper of energy flowed from the broken weapon, an exposed glimpse of divine ki that coalesced into the shape of an old man.
“Greetings to the true Supreme Kai of Universe seven,” Hal gave a bow of his neck that drew the two stunned Kai’s to the old man in their midst. “Sorry that it took so long for someone to set you free.”
“Hahahahaha!” the old, purple-skinned fellow tilted his head back and cackled. “No trouble at all, young man! But I am curious, how did you know I was imprisoned within the sword?”
***Power Levels and other notes***
Hal: 13,500,000 (135 million with symbiote armour enhancement, 270 million with symbiote transformation, 13.5 billion/27 billion at Max kio-ken: 100x)
Supreme Kai: 200 million
Kibito: 150 million