42)Perfection? Not For Me: Ch.42

“Well, I'd have to say yes…but also no.”

“I am confused”, Shin said with a raised eyebrow and I chuckled as I scratched the back of my neck.

“Yes, I accept the offer to become Supreme Kai and no because I want to know what you need me to do as your successor. I won't accept a title just for the sake of it. If I'm going to carry that name, I need to know what you expect of me and what that title means in your eyes.”

“Ah, I see”, Shin muttered, looking a bit taken aback by my answer before taking a deep breath as Kibito gave a silent nod.

“Well, I suppose you do deserve a proper answer”, He whispered as he stood up, making me raise an eyebrow as I watched him beginning to pace behind his seat.

“The title of Supreme Kai is not just about watching over mortals from a distance. It's about understanding the balance of the universe, maintaining the peace and knowing when to act and when to let things unfold. It's…a burden most do not understand and a responsibility most would not like to have. It requires patience, wisdom and an unshakable sense of justice.”

“As well as strength. Though, we are gods, we are not beyond error and emotions that are more mortal than divine. That is why someone like you, Cuu, who understands the mortals' struggles and the consequences of a divine acting when it is not needed, is worthy of this”, Kibito finished and I frowned as Shin nodded.

“You've taken down threats that neither Kibito nor I could deal with due to our limitations and that Lord Beerus ignored because of his laziness. That shows resolve, but you also questioned what this role means and that shows humility. That is why I ask of you to become Supreme Kai?”

“So, it's not all tea parties and fancy divine outfits?”, I asked while gesturing towards the outfits in question and smirked as Shin chuckled lightly.

“No, not unless you really want the outfit.”

“I won't say no to it”, I answered with a shrug and he smiled before looking pleased as I nodded.

“Then I accept, but I'm doing this my way. If I see a threat to the universe, I'm not waiting to see what they do and let things spiral out of chaos.”

“I would ask you at the moment to not go forward with trying to prevent it, but it is your choice to execute the threat and see where that leads you”, Kibito answered with a serious expression and I hummed before turning to Shin as he walked forward.

“Would you please kneel?”, Nodding, I fell to a knee while lowering my hand, Shin taking a deep breath before his divine ki rippled across the landscape as he placed a hand on my head.

“As Supreme Kai of Universe 7, I bestow upon you the path of succession. May you help the universe prosper and may its mortals help you prosper”, As he finished speaking, a soft warm light enveloped me and my eyes widened as my senses were boosted into overdrive.

My vision tore through the fabric of space, stretching across the universe itself. My mind brushed against the minds of trillions before I gasped as I found myself being thrust back into my body.

“Ah, I forgot to mention that the ritual may result in you experiencing the full breadth of your new awareness at once. Apologies for that”, Shin apologized with a sheepish smile and I blinked to adjust to the surge of divine ki coursing through my soul.

“No kidding”, I muttered as I stood up, the aftershock of the sudden universal awareness fading to a more manageable hum. At first, it felt as if I was listening to a billion conversations and felt a million emotions from different directions all at once, but now, they were beginning to fade into the background.

“Are you alright?”, Kibito asked and I noted his tone was now more confident and formal before I nodded.

“I'll live. That was just a lot.”

“You'll learn to tune in and out. The awareness will always be there, but you'll gain control over it with time and discipline”, Shin added and I took a deep breath as I felt the connection forming, frowning a bit at how much lighter my body felt compared to earlier.

“Great. So, that is all? I'm officially the Supreme Kai?”, I asked and Shin went to respond before I heard a rumble echoing in the skies, the air around the Sacred World shimmering.

To my surprise, I felt something to the east and looked in that direction, stretching my senses outwards to see what it was before I froze as I felt the disgruntled emotions at the other end.

“Something wrong?”

“…Shin, do you still feel Beerus?”, I asked and watched as Shin frowned before he froze with a nervous look while Whis giggled.

“So, that's what that itch was”, Beeru's voice echoed in my mind as I vanished, appearing in front of him to see the destroyer floating above his planet with his arms behind his back and a frown on his face.

Despite the fact that the Aura of Destruction crackled around his body like thunder while his power tried to pressure me, I didn't flinch and simply flared my energy to push it back.

Placing my hands behind my back with a stoic gaze, Beerus slowly pulled his energy back before a small smirk grew on his face.

“The little Kai passed it onto you, then. Hmm, not the best choice, is it?”

“Not particularly, but at least now you don't have to worry about your counterpart dying”, I answered calmly and his eyes were locked onto me with an intense judging gaze before nodding.

“That is good, then, but let's get one thing sorted out. I am still the God of Destruction. If I decide something has to go, it goes.”

“And if I see you act without balance, I'll remind you of what my title means”, I don't know where I was getting this newly found bravado, but I was enjoying the high it gave me as a dangerous smile curled on his face.

“Ha, you've gotten more cocky since I last fought you, Cuu.”

“Well, knowing that you'd die if I die gives me a burst of confidence”, I answered with a shrug and he smirked as he placed a hand on my shoulders before I took us through space once again.

“I see you've decided to quit”, Beerus began as he looked to Shin, Kibito and Monaito subtly hiding behind Whis as Shin gave a nervous nod.

“I-I did.”

“Without consulting me?”

“I found it to be the best option available at the time”, Shin answered while his eyes flickered to me and Beerus' tail flicked lazily behind him as he looked to Whis, who shrugged.

“You know Cuu to be quite more capable and more proactive than Lord Shin considering he made a universal peace-keeping organization.”

“Crap, that's right! I still got that!” I grumbled with a frown before turning to Monaito as he spoke up.

“I-I do not believe any would mind since you are still doing our mission.”

“I know, but they just got used to me being a mortal and now I'm a divine being…Wait, I was a divine being…Hah, I guess I can't exactly say I'm just Cuu, leader of the Imperial Empire anymore”, I muttered as I looked up at the sky, which had become the usual when I tried to think about something.

Unfortunately, there was nothing to think about here. Unlike when my ki simply hummed before, it was now singing and every breath I took echoed across the Sacred World like a prayer being fulfilled.

“You were never just Cuu. Sure, you were Cell at the start of your journey, but you've rewritten galactic hierarchies, defeated Demon Gods and even managed to truly harm Lord Beerus. To be quite honest, becoming a Supreme Kai doesn't feel all that grand compared to your other achievements”, Whis chimed in with a smile and I looked down at him before turning to Beerus as he spoke.

“You realize what this means, don't you? You'll outlive them.”

“Outlive who?”

“Everyone you love and care for”, The god responded and for the first, I caught a glimpse of the aged deity in front of me as I realized what he meant.

“I know what you're thinking. Would you stop your friends from going to Heaven just because you can't bear having them with you?”, Beerus asked and I swallowed hard as my gaze drifted to the planet Imperium.

“…I…” I tried to give a response, looking at Monaito who gave a soft smile before shaking his head.

“It is a burden shared by many divine beings, Lord Cuu. Our love, friendship and loyalty will not fade even as time goes on and we pass away. The pain of losing a loved one does not come from losing them, but from remembering them.”

“Well, that's comforting. Man, I should have thought this over more.”

“You could always make new friends, though the replacements aren't quite the same”, Beerus chimed in and I just looked at him with a flat look before shaking my head.

“You're really bad at this comfort thing.”

“I'm not here to comfort you. I'm here to make sure you understand the reality of the role you've taken, something you should have done before doing so.”

“I know, I know. What about Towa, Glorio and Panzy? I don't think I can watch them die.”

“From what I've seen, they are demons so they have a long lifespan, but there are some who try to keep their loved ones with them. Extending their lives with divine ki, breaking rules, bending time. It…it never ends well. There's a natural order to the universes, even for us”, Shin spoke and I just sat down while palming my face with a groan.

“What you can do, my Lord, is make sure the time you have with them is worth remembering. Therefore, even if you remember the pain, you also remember the joyous emotions you experienced at the time”, Monaito provided with a smile and I looked him before nodding with a soft smile.

“Yeah, that…that sounds like the best option, honestly. Not exactly what I wanted, but when does anyone get what they want?”, A calm silence hung in the air as I finished speaking, standing up while dusting off my new Supreme Kai outfit before looking to Beerus as he spoke.

“Well, that was dreadfully emotional. If you're done sulking over your new lifespan, how about we settle something else?” He asked and I blinked before my eyes widened as I remembered why we were here.

“That's right! Before we came here, I was attacked by Hit of Universe 6 and he said that someone hired him to kill me.”

“What?”, Shin asked with a frown and instead of explaining, I simply shared the memories of the incident with him, Monaito looking a bit staggered while the divine beings processed the information within the blink of an eye.

“A mortal from Universes dared to send an assassin across universes. That is quite the brave person to do such an unbelievable thing”, Beerus spoke with a serious look and Whis' smile faded as he nodded.

“Not just unbelievable, but it is also a breach of the laws set by Lord Zeno himself. Inter-universal travel is forbidden unless sanctioned and allowed by the Kai of the universe one is travelling to.”

“That's what I thought. Whoever hired Hit either thinks they're untouchable or want trouble”, Shin spoke with a frown before the three turned to me as I spoke.

“Hit wouldn't take a job unless he thought it had weight. The fact that he backed off after I explained everything to him makes it clear he did not know the full picture, which means that someone is pulling the strings. The only thing I want to know is why they targeted me.”

“To destabilize Universe 7's new inter-galactic organization?” Kibito offered and a frown adorned my face as Monaito gave a slow nod.

“That…would fit. Despite our best efforts, there are inevitably going to be those still loyal to Cooler and with your death, the new peace would be fractured by those coming out from the shadows to try and resurrect the old empire.”

“Or it's personal. Someone who doesn't like what you're doing or is afraid of what you might do next”, Whis proposed and I frowned before shaking my head.

“The only people I know that might do such a thing are all dead and Goku and the guys would rather fight me instead of sending an assassin after me.”

“Regardless of intent, then, we should investigate the origin of this contract”, Kibito spoke up and I turned to Whis as he waved his staff before I watched in awe as a translucent map of all twelve universes appeared in front of us.

“Kibito is right. I shall request Vados to look discreetly into this matter from Universe 6's side, but we must not alert Lord Champa to this matter yet.”

“If Champa knew one of his mortals was acting like this, he'd either cover it up or overreact. Either way, it will get messy”, Beerus added, to which Whis nodded before the angel turned to me.

“In the meantime, I must unfortunately ask of you to stay here on the Sacred World now, Shin. With you being the new Supreme Kai, your life is linked to that of Lord Beerus and should the next assassination attempt be successful, Universe 7 will lose both its guardian deities.”

“Yeah, I thought you would ask that. I understand, but…am I allowed to bring the family here?”, I asked as I looked to Shin, who blinked before nodding.

“Of course. May I ask who the family is?”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A low hum echoed in a dark void as cracks of purple energy webbed across the vacuum like veins through a corpse, each pulsing with an unnatural rhythm.

The humming grew louder and louder before space itself ripped open and from, rocky and jagged land was born. An entire country stretching for hundreds of kilometers in all directions floated out of the purple void that closed behind it.

At its centre loomed a castle, towers spiralling into impossible shapes as its roofs bent backwards and its windows dripped with a dark red ichor. The castle's walls were coloured in dark, haunting shades of purple and cream, but it was the countless golden and blood-red orbs embedded in its walls that drew attention.

Each walls blinked independently as they looked everywhere and black horns coiled upwards from the rooftops of the tallest towers.

In the castle's throne hall, a massive figure reclined upon a twisted throne of bone and glass, the shadow besides the throne shifting before a serpentine figure cloaked in ethereal flame spawned from it.

“The assassin has failed, master”, It rasped, bowing low as the large figure stayed still and did not move its head.

“The assassin?”

“Hit, Universe 6. He engaged the target as instructed, but did not finish the job”, The figure clarified and a disappointed hum came from the large figure as it shifted slowly.

“I see. Meruem still lives, then?”

“Yes, my lord, but…he had vanished along with the angel Whis. They were on the planet Imperium when Cuu used the Kai's teleportation ability and teleported them to an unknown Location."

“I told Hit to fight him with all that he has, but it appears pride lingers like a foul stench even among the finest killers”, The being rumbled as they rose to their full height, their shadow stretching across the entire hall before it warped.

Flesh condensed upon itself and skin twisted before the figure finished its transformation, its new tail smacking against the ground and taking a deep breath as it stared at Meruem's gaze in the shimmering floor.

A moment later, the form dispelled with a swirl of black smoke and the massive figure appeared from the smoke, a hole opened in the rooftop as the figure floated upwards and through it.

“No matter. If the assassin failed, then the game is simply changing”, Raising a hand in front of him, a swirling orb of darkness and light appeared in the figure's grasp before images flickered on it, the being frowning as he couldn't find hide nor hair of Meruem's energy.

'That are only two places I cannot see. Beerus' planet…or the Sacred World of the Kais. So, they've gone to that coward Shin', The being thought with a frown while the ball vanished, shaking his head before another ball of shadows appeared in his hand.

This one showed the inside of a laboratory and he smirked as he stared at the body slowly being pieced together inside of it.

“Let them hide for now, but once you are complete, you will be the opening piece for this war.”

A/N: And we end this off here~!! New Villain~!!

However, this villain won't be revealed for a while as I still got some more stuff to do…I think?

Damn, I just realized. We got four arcs left before this thing is over because I don't wanna stretch this story out too much and make it redundant.

Holy crap, this feels surreal. The first Dragon Ball SI and we're nearing the end.

Damn, well, at least I'll still have Blonde Monke and the new one we do.

Also, just want to say that it was very hard to find the villain that would work for Cuu's final arc, but I think I've picked the right one with what's still left.

Anyway, next Chapter: Meeting the Other Kais of the Multiverse and resurrecting a certain...Supreme Kai that we spoke of~ Hehe~

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!