In the days that followed, Zangya slowly recovered from her injuries. With the celebratory banquet drawing near, Raditz decided to personally invite two very special guests: the gods of the Supreme Kai Realm.
Using Instant Transmission, Raditz appeared on the sacred world in a heartbeat. The air was pure and crisp, carrying the sweet scent of endless fields of lush, green grass. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves of ancient, towering trees that dotted the plains. In the distance, picturesque mountains painted the horizon, creating a scene of absolute tranquility.
He found Supreme Kai and Kibito meditating beneath one of the ancient trees, a practice they had taken up with greater frequency ever since the Saiyans had consistently shattered their understanding of mortal limits.
"Hey, Supreme Kai, Kibito," Raditz said with a casual wave.
His sudden appearance startled them both. "Raditz!" the Supreme Kai exclaimed, eyes snapping open. "What brings you here? Has something gone wrong again?"
Raditz fought back a grin. It seemed the gods of the universe were now conditioned to associate his presence with cosmic disaster. Of course they have no idea, he thought. For beings who see centuries pass like a short nap, a single month is nothing. You couldn't exactly expect them to monitor one Saiyan's activities around the clock.
"Does something always have to be wrong for me to visit?" Raditz smirked. "This time, I'm here to invite you to a party."
"A party?" Supreme Kai and Kibito exchanged a baffled look before staring blankly at Raditz.
"It's a long story..." Raditz quickly recounted the recent battles against the Demon Realm insurgents and Bojack's crew, finishing with the invitation to the celebration.
The two deities looked at each other, their eyes wide. "See? Something did go wrong!" the Supreme Kai declared.
Raditz resisted the urge to knock their heads together.
"Dabura, the King of the Demon Realm, has a sister? That's unheard of," Supreme Kai murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "We long suspected Babidi was colluding with forces from the Demon Realm, but this suggests the realm itself is unstable." The thought of Majin Buu still lingered in his mind, and the addition of more cosmic threats was deeply unsettling.
"Babidi's whereabouts are still unknown," Kibito added nervously. "Perhaps the Demon King's disappearance is connected to him."
"A sound theory..." the Supreme Kai mused, then his gaze fell upon Raditz. "If that's the case, you could be in grave danger. Even King Kai couldn't track Babidi; he is beyond your reach. However... there may be another way..."
He paused for dramatic effect, his voice lowering to a solemn, sacred tone. "Here in this realm, there is a legendary weapon: the Z Sword. It is said that whoever can draw it from its resting place will gain unparalleled power—enough to conquer any evil."
Raditz's eyes widened. The Z Sword! he thought, a jolt of recognition running through him. How could I forget? And the powerful old Kai sealed inside it!
He had considered seeking it out in the past but lacked the necessary strength. After achieving Super Saiyan 2, a constant stream of crises had pushed the thought from his mind. If the Supreme Kai hadn't brought it up, he might have forgotten it completely.
"Where is it?"
"You wish to try and draw the sword?" Kibito began to sputter. "Even if you are powerful, it is a holy sword that none have ever managed to pull, not even the Grand Supreme Kai himself..."
Raditz rolled his eyes. "That's because the Grand Supreme Kai wasn't strong enough to handle Buu. He was killed, and I can defeat Majin Buu."
"What... what?" The confident declaration left both Supreme Kai and Kibito utterly stunned.
It was an arrogant boast, yet coming from Raditz, it felt entirely plausible. The shadow of Majin Buu was a deep-seated terror in the Supreme Kai's mind, and he had no way to gauge the upper limits of Raditz's current power. He couldn't definitively say who was stronger. But Raditz had a habit of shattering his preconceptions, so he was inclined to believe him.
Since the opportunity had presented itself, he decided to see it through.
"Come with me." The Supreme Kai floated into the air, leading Raditz and Kibito toward a towering, sword-shaped mountain in the distance. At its peak was a small, flat plateau where the legendary Z Sword was embedded.
The three landed softly. Gesturing with a sweep of his hand at the hilt protruding from the solid rock, the Supreme Kai announced, "This is the Z Sword."
"You know," Raditz said, looking it over, "it'd probably be easier if I just blew up the mountain." He raised a hand, beginning to gather energy.
This was a possibility the two gods had apparently never considered. After a moment of stunned silence, Kibito lunged in front of Raditz, shielding the Saiyan's palm with his own body.
"Don't you dare!" he shrieked, his voice trembling with frantic devotion. "This is a sacred artifact! You can't just—"
Seeing Kibito's panic, Raditz relented with a sigh. "Fine, fine. We'll do it the proper way."
"Ahem, yes," the Supreme Kai stammered, scrambling for a justification. "It is likely that one can only acquire its wondrous power by drawing it forth by hand... That is what the legends say, at least."
He had no idea that Raditz already knew the truth.
Raditz rolled up his sleeves and placed both hands firmly on the hilt.
"You're just going to pull it like that?" Kibito asked, astonished. "Aren't you going to transform?"
A sly smile touched Raditz's lips. "I have something better." In an instant, a dazzling, translucent aura erupted around him. Though it lacked the golden flare of a Super Saiyan, the sheer force of his power sent the Supreme Kai and Kibito staggering back, far surpassing the pressure of Super Saiyan 2.
In his Mystic state, Raditz's strength skyrocketed. With a slight grunt of effort, he pulled. There was a deep groan of shifting stone, and the Z Sword slid smoothly from the mountain. As surrounding rock crumbled away, the blade's sharp, cold steel glinted in the light of the heavens for the first time in ages.
Kibito was so stunned his jaw hung open, his eyes nearly popping from their sockets. The Supreme Kai's expression was identical. He had expected Raditz might succeed, but he never imagined it would be so effortless.
"Quickly, try it!" the Supreme Kai urged, his voice filled with awe. But his words caught in his throat as he watched in horror.
To test its strength, Raditz swung the legendary blade against a nearby rock formation. With a sharp CRACK, the Z Sword—the unbreakable, sacred weapon of the gods—snapped clean in two.
The two halves clattered to the ground. Silence. The world seemed to stop for the Supreme Kai and Kibito. Their minds went blank with sheer, unadulterated terror. The artifact, a treasure of the gods for millennia, had been destroyed just moments after being drawn.
"Well, it's about time I got out~"
A leisurely, ancient voice croaked, seemingly from thin air.