Whis, who had been tense the entire time, finally began to relax. Judging from the current situation, it seemed that his Seventh Universe was safe for the moment.
After saying a few words to Kaito, Eighteen returned to her room. She still wasn't used to being around this group of strange gods.
Vados and Marcarita sat on either side of Kaito, watching as he casually chatted with the Omni-King.
The Omni-King seemed very interested in Kaito—he was the one doing most of the talking, while the Grand Priest had barely said a word.
To Kaito, the whole exchange felt like he was humoring a child. The Omni-King was pure curiosity incarnate, especially after learning that Kaito didn't belong to any known universe.
"Kaito! Kaito! That fruit you mentioned—the one called a Devil Fruit—is it really that disgusting?"
Kaito sighed and nodded helplessly.
"It's extremely disgusting. Everyone who's eaten one says it tastes like... poop."
"Eh? What does poop taste like?"
"..."
The corner of Kaito's mouth twitched. Well, it made sense—someone like the Omni-King probably never needed to use a bathroom, so that comparison wouldn't mean much to him.
He tried another explanation.
"It's a flavor so awful that after one bite, you'd want to destroy the entire universe. Does that make sense?"
The Omni-King tilted his head, thinking for a moment, then nodded uncertainly. At least, he was quiet for now.
Taking advantage of the brief silence, the Grand Priest set down his cup and spoke.
"Kaito, could you tell us more about the Dragon Balls? The Omni-King-sama is quite interested in how you managed to absorb them."
The Omni-King blinked and turned to the Grand Priest.
"Absorbed the Dragon Balls? Then that strange energy really was coming from him?"
At Kaito's thought, seven golden, flame-wreathed Dragon Balls appeared floating behind him. The faint, massive silhouette of the Super Shenron shimmered in the air.
Aside from Vados, it was everyone's first time seeing such a sight. Even the always-composed Grand Priest looked slightly stunned.
Suddenly, the Omni-King stretched out a tiny finger and poked at one of the burning Dragon Balls.
Zzzt!
A sharp sound crackled as his finger touched it. The Omni-King let out a muffled groan and quickly pulled his hand back.
When he looked down, a faint burn mark had appeared on his fingertip.
The Omni-King... was injured?!
The two guards standing behind him widened their eyes. Silver light burst from their bodies as they locked their gazes on Kaito.
The Grand Priest hurried forward to inspect the Omni-King's hand, and when he saw the clear burn mark, his expression grew grave.
The Omni-King was the supreme god ruling over all universes. Even the Grand Priest could barely harm him. For someone to do so... only one ancient being had ever achieved that.
The Dragon God—Zalama.
The two guards entered their Ultra Instinct states completely, ready to attack Kaito at a moment's notice if the Omni-King gave the command.
This sudden change caught even the angels off guard, but Vados and Marcarita reacted instantly.
Both rose to their feet, silver-white light flaring around them as they faced the two guards head-on.
Vados's voice was calm but firm.
"Omni-King-sama, Kaito had no intention of attacking you. Please, do not be angered."
Marcarita remained silent, simply raising her angel's staff and fixing the guards with a cold, unblinking gaze.
Whis looked utterly miserable. Everything had been fine a moment ago—how had things escalated this quickly?
And now he had another problem: whose side was he even supposed to take?
At that moment, the lowest-ranking being in the room was actually the God of Destruction, Beerus. He didn't dare to say a word, merely watching the situation unfold with wide eyes.
The Grand Priest frowned and spoke sharply.
"Enough! What do you think you're doing? Until the Omni-King-sama gives an order, everyone stay silent!"
Voom!
A terrifying pressure erupted from the Grand Priest, causing Vados and the others' expressions to tighten as the silver light around them faded instantly.
But the oppressive force still filled the small chamber, pressing down on everyone present—angels and guards alike struggled to withstand it.
Kaito, who had been silent all this time, suddenly raised his hand. A brilliant golden light radiated from his palm, instantly dispelling the suffocating pressure surrounding Vados and Marcarita.
The two guards weren't so lucky. Gritting their teeth, they barely managed to remain standing under the crushing aura of the Grand Priest.
Whether by accident or intention, the Grand Priest seemed to focus his pressure directly on them, making no effort to ease up.
The guards were nearly in tears. Why did it feel like the Grand Priest was targeting them on purpose? They were only doing their duty!
Taking advantage of the moment, Marcarita "collapsed softly" into Kaito's arms and whispered,
"Kaito... Father seems angry. Please hold back. If a fight breaks out, Earth won't survive!"
Kaito gave her a reassuring look. With the Dragon God's Space at his disposal, he wasn't worried in the slightest. If things really came to blows, he could instantly pull everyone present into that separate realm.
But judging from the Grand Priest's demeanor, it didn't seem like he intended to start a fight.
Whether things escalated or not depended entirely on the Omni-King.
Kaito stood up and sat beside the Omni-King. The two guards instinctively tried to stop him, but the Grand Priest's icy glare froze them in place—they didn't dare move another inch.
The Omni-King was still staring at his finger, eyes wide.
Kaito waved a hand in front of him.
"Hey, have you stared at it enough yet? It's just a tiny burn—don't tell me you're about to start crying over it?"
The Omni-King slowly looked up and asked a completely unexpected question.
"You really have nothing to do with Zalama?"
"Zalama? Who's that?"
Kaito blinked. He genuinely had no idea who Zalama was.
The Grand Priest explained,
"Zalama was the Dragon God before you. He once ruled over six universes, but that wasn't enough for him—he tried to seize control of the remaining twelve. In the end, the Omni-King-sama erased both him and those six universes together."
The Grand Priest paused, glancing at the seven Dragon Balls glowing behind Kaito before continuing.
"His power was immense. These Dragon Balls were created by him in his final moments using his divine energy. Not even the Omni-King-sama could completely erase his body. Some fragments of it are still unaccounted for."
Kaito nodded slightly. No wonder the Omni-King had been so wary of him absorbing the Dragon Balls—they had belonged to his old nemesis.
He glanced at the Omni-King's finger and noticed the burn had almost completely healed.
The Omni-King tilted his head, looking adorably puzzled, and Kaito couldn't help but wonder—had Zalama smacked this kid on the head a few too many times back in the day?