After a violent explosion, the entire Dragon God Realm was bathed in dazzling gold.
As the light faded, a soot-covered Jiren appeared.
Of course, he was originally gray—now he was just even grayer.
The upper half of Jiren's clothing had been completely burned away, revealing his muscular physique. He gasped heavily as he slowly descended toward the ground.
From the looks of it, although his power had surpassed a God of Destruction, there was still a noticeable gap between him and an Angel.
When Marcarita had taken this attack earlier, she hadn't looked nearly as miserable.
Jiren dropped to one knee. He looked at his charred palm and let out a bitter smile.
He had just pushed himself to the absolute limit. If Brahma's energy had been a bit stronger, he probably wouldn't even be conscious right now.
Swish!
Kaito flashed in front of Jiren. He smiled and extended a hand toward him, saying,
"Not bad at all. I really appreciate you."
Jiren hastily rubbed his hands together, feeling they were far too dirty.
Kaito shook his head helplessly, grabbed Jiren's hand without waiting for permission, and pulled him up from the ground.
Jiren was thoroughly convinced. The large eyes with which he looked at Kaito were now filled with reverence.
What earned his respect wasn't just Kaito's unrivaled strength—it was also his humility.
He understood that as the Supreme God of the universe, Kaito was giving him tremendous respect today.
Kaito glanced at the slightly battered Jiren, waved his hand casually, and a brand-new outfit appeared on Jiren's body, perfectly tailored.
Jiren moved slightly and discovered that all of his injuries had already healed. His heart trembled once again at Kaito's unfathomable abilities.
Then Kaito suddenly spoke,
"You haven't drawn out your full power yet. Are you still holding back?"
Jiren froze for a moment and quickly responded,
"Dragon God-sama, I already used all my power just now. My apologies… I've disappointed you..."
As he spoke, shame surfaced on his face. He lowered his head, his large gray skull drooping toward Kaito.
Kaito suddenly placed his hand on Jiren's bald head. Jiren jolted slightly but didn't resist, allowing Kaito to hold his head.
Kaito didn't have any strange hobby involving bald heads. He simply closed his eyes, and with a thought, Jiren felt a warm stream rising from within, quickly pouring through every part of his body.
In the next instant, he let out an uncontrollable roar as a far stronger aura burst from him. Red and pink flames surged upward, and his power continued to climb.
Kaito withdrew his hand. He had just helped Jiren bring out the potential hidden within him.
Even the elder on Namek could do something similar; for a Dragon God of Kaito's level, it was child's play.
In the anime, Jiren needed memories to awaken this state. With Kaito, such things were unnecessary.
Feeling the power surging inside him, Jiren's joy was impossible to hide.
He felt as though he could defeat anything—excluding Kaito, of course.
He had stepped into an entirely new realm, yet that only made him even more aware of Kaito's terrifying might. It was a power that inspired despair.
Suddenly, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed heavily toward Kaito, shouting,
"Thank you, Dragon God-sama! From this day forward, my life belongs to you!"
Kaito was momentarily stunned by the sudden gesture. He stepped back slightly and waved his hand,
"What would I want your life for? Keep it for yourself. This was your own power—I merely guided it out."
Jiren stayed frozen in place, unmoving. Kaito sighed helplessly and continued,
"All right, get up. You belong to the universe I oversee. Helping you a little isn't a big deal."
He lifted his hand lightly, and an invisible force raised Jiren from the ground.
Jiren stared at Kaito with burning admiration. Being looked at that intensely by a muscular man made Kaito uncomfortable. He snapped his fingers, and the Dragon God Realm distorted—moments later, the two were back home.
As soon as they arrived, Kaito saw that Marcarita had already joined the game, and the white strips on her face had formed a curtain—proof of how tragic the battle had been.
Marcarita clutched her cards tightly, staring solemnly at Vados across from her. She said in a deep voice,
"Play your move, Vados. I'm going all in. This time, I absolutely won't lose!"
Eighteen pressed a hand against her forehead. Unfortunately, she had been paired with the disaster known as Marcarita this round, and she had already prepared extra white strips ahead of time.
Vados looked relaxed. She glanced at the overly tense Marcarita with a small smile, then casually played a large airplane combo, instantly turning Marcarita to stone in her seat.
Her cards scattered across the table. Kaito took a glance—good grief, she hadn't even used her wildcards.
Eighteen immediately and skillfully took two white strips and applied them to Marcarita's face, then placed one on her own forehead.
Marcarita's vision was nearly blocked entirely. She thrashed in her chair, shouting,
"Why! Why! How can I not win even once?! This angel refuses to accept it! Aaahhhh!"
Vados chuckled, brushing her hand lightly across the table. The scattered cards instantly arranged themselves neatly, pleasing to the eye.
Ignoring Marcarita, who was doubting her very existence, Vados stood up. She picked up a cup of coffee and walked gracefully to Kaito's side, handing it to him.
At that moment, she looked like a gentle wife welcoming her husband home.
Kaito took a sip. It was slightly sweet—she had clearly added sugar for him.
Vados asked with a smile,
"What took you so long?"
"I helped Jiren improve a bit. Took some extra time."
Hearing Kaito's voice, Marcarita shot up from her chair. She rushed to him, complaining loudly,
"Kaito, teach me a few tricks! I keep losing! It's so strange. Isn't this just a luck game?!"
Eighteen followed behind, brushing aside the white strip on her forehead. With a helpless expression, she said,
"It is a luck game, but you can't just play randomly. Who throws out a bomb on the opening turn?!"
Marcarita showed no awareness of her mistake. She stiffened her neck and said,
"That's because I had the strongest bomb! What's wrong with using a little extravagantly?"
Kaito rolled his eyes and mocked,
"So did you use that 'strongest bomb'? Still saving it for the wedding banquet?"
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