The Sacred World of the Kai was a planet of breathtaking beauty, lush with vibrant greenery. The sky was a piercing, crystalline blue, and several moons hung visibly in the atmosphere even during the day.
In that moment, Lisette finally understood why Earth was so often called the "most beautiful planet" by travelers. It wasn't a coincidence; this world was the cosmic standard for beauty, and Earth's environment was its closest mirror.
Following the Supreme Kai, the trio eventually arrived before a single sword thrust deep into a stone pedestal.
"And this is?"
Lisette asked the question for form's sake. She already knew exactly what it was, but explaining how she knew would be a headache she didn't need.
"It is the Z-Sword," Shin explained. "The legendary blade of the Sacred World, passed down through generations. It is said that whoever pulls it will obtain the greatest power in the universe. Many Supreme Kais have challenged the legend, but not one—including myself—has ever moved it. But you, Lisette... perhaps you are the one."
"Are you sure? I'm just a Guardian of a fringe planet. Is it alright for me to pull it?"
"If it is used for the sake of peace, I believe the blade itself would be honored," Shin replied.
With his permission secured, Lisette stepped up to the sword. She gripped the hilt with one hand and gave it a tug. It didn't budge. She tried with both hands. Still nothing.
Alright, let's stop playing around, she thought.
She flared her Burst Limit to one hundred times its base and layered her full telekinetic strength on top of her physical pull. To an observer, she looked perfectly calm, but the ground beneath her began to groan and tilt, vibrating with the sheer force she was exerting.
Finally, the Z-Sword slid from its ancient resting place, coming free in her hands.
"Magnificent! Truly wonderful, Lisette!" Shin cheered.
"I... I can't believe a mortal god actually pulled the Z-Sword," Kibito stammered, his face pale with awe.
Lisette examined the blade. She had succeeded in pulling it, but she knew its true value wasn't the metal itself. Honestly, just holding it, the Z-Sword felt underwhelming. It was made of high-quality metal, sure, and it was sharp enough, but "greatest power in the universe"? Without her prior knowledge, she would have called it a hunk of heavy iron. As it was, she could probably manifest a better weapon out of Katchin Steel herself.
Actually, she thought, I've never seen Katchin Steel up close. I can't create what I don't understand.
She turned to Shin. "Supreme Kai, may I test the blade's edge? I'd like to try it against something truly hard."
"Of course. Let's see what it can do."
Shin was eager to see the legend in action. He used his matter-creation ability to manifest a block of Katchin Steel, suspending it in the air.
Perfect, Lisette thought. Now she had the data on the metal for future use. She took a stance, but instead of using her skill to cleanly cut the block, she swung the Z-Sword with deliberate, clumsy force—applying maximum stress to the blade itself.
If she used her ki to coat the blade, she could have sliced through the Katchin Steel. But the Z-Sword neededto break.
The blade slammed into the block and, with a sharp crack, it shattered. Lisette casually stepped aside as the broken tip of the sword and the block of steel went flying.
There. Now the Old Man should show up.
"TH-THE Z-SWORD?!" Shin shrieked, his face contorting in horror.
"The legendary blade of our people... broken?!" Kibito wailed. Their expressions were so exaggerated they looked like a bad drawing. It was clear they had put their entire faith into that hunk of metal.
"Well," Lisette said, trying to sound helpful, "it seems the legend was a bit of an exaggeration."
"Impossible... th-the strongest weapon in the cosmos..."
"Honestly, Supreme Kai, it was a bit of a letdown as a weapon. Here, try holding it."
Lisette handed the hilt to Shin. He took it without thinking, only for the sheer weight to catch him off guard, making him drop it instantly. He scrambled to pick it up, his face turning red with effort.
"What is this?! Even broken, it's... it's impossibly heavy!"
"Exactly. It's too heavy to be practical. If it were sharper, maybe, but as it stands... it's just a very expensive blunt instrument."
"So the legend was a lie..." Shin slumped, his shoulders dropping in defeat.
"It wasn't a lie," a raspy, ancient voice creaked from behind them.
Shin and Kibito jumped, whirling around. In a realm where they were supposed to be the only residents, an unknown voice was like a ghost appearing in a locked house. Standing there was a withered, elderly man—clearly a Kai, but one unlike any they had seen.
"Heh heh heh heh."
"Who... who are you?" Shin asked.
"Me? Oh, you're in for a shock, young buck. I am... your ancestor! The Supreme Kai from fifteen generations ago!"
"WHAT?! Fifteen generations?!"
Shin had lived for five million years and was still considered a "youth" in the divine hierarchy. For a fifteen-generation gap to exist, this old man had to be hundreds of millions of years old.
"That's right! Long ago, a very powerful, very nasty fellow got scared of my incredible power and sealed me inside that sword. He was shaking in his boots, he was!"
"Incredible power?" Lisette asked, tilting her head. "Forgive me, but I don't sense much combat strength from you."
"Ho ho! You want to know, do you?"
"I am very curious," Lisette replied. She knew better than to act like Goku; she wasn't going to blast the old man in the face. She played into his vanity.
"I have the power to take any warrior—no matter how skilled—and draw out their hidden potential. I can push them far, far beyond their limits. Heh, you ever hear of a talent like that?"
"Well," Lisette mused, "the Grand Elder of Namek could unlock potential. And I've heard the wizard Babidi can use magic to pull power past a person's limits. Is it like that?"
"What?! Those amateurs?!" The Old Kai sputtered, his pride wounded. "My power is infinitely superior! I'll show you! You're the one who broke the sword, right? Step over here."
Hook, line, and sinker, Lisette thought. By challenging his ego, she had bypassed the "let me touch your chest" phase of the negotiation.
"I'm ready."
Lisette felt a small pang of guilt for Gohan. In the original timeline, this power-up was his destiny. But Gohan was currently a scholar, and Buu was already dealt with. If she could take this power and end the current crisis, she hoped Gohan would forgive her for "stealing" his turn.
"I expected one of my descendants to let me out," the Old Kai grumbled, glancing at Shin. "To think I was saved by a fringe Goddess... the world really is coming to an end."
"My deepest apologies," Shin whispered, shrinking back.
"Alright, stand right there and don't move."
"Yes, sir."
"Then we begin... Hmmm-hmmm-hmmm! Heh-heh-heh-hmmm!"
The "Ultimate Power-Up" began not with a grand display of energy, but with a bizarre, high-pitched chanting dance. To anyone else, it would look like a senile prank, but the Old Kai's face was deadly serious.
"Um, Ancestor?" Shin asked. "How long does this take?"
"Five hours for the ritual! Twenty hours for the power-up!"
That's a lot of dancing, Lisette thought. Under normal circumstances, she could endure it; she had spent much longer in meditative trances under Korin. But with the Other World in chaos and villains pouring onto Earth, she couldn't afford to wait twenty-five hours.
"I have a suggestion," Lisette interrupted. "Can we change locations?"
"Eh?"
+++
Ten hours into the ritual—well into the power-up phase—the Old Kai stopped, sweat dripping from his brow.
They were no longer in the Sacred World. They were inside Earth's Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Under the protection of Lisette's barrier, the Old Kai could survive the harsh atmosphere, and twenty-five hours inside would only be a few minutes to the outside world.
"I... I'm stunned," the Old Kai panted. "You've got a terrifying amount of power sleeping inside you, girl."
"I've tapped into it twice before," Lisette explained. "But I lost control the first time. I've kept it sealed since then because it's too dangerous."
"Hmph. Do you even realize what that power is? It's the Divine Realm."
"Divine? But... I'm already a Goddess."
"Not like that. This is different. True divine power—the kind where your ki becomes perfectly clear and doesn't leak out. You've already got one foot in that grave. If I were to unlock everything, you'd fully ascend into that state."
The Old Kai looked conflicted. He hadn't expected a planetary guardian—anyone other than a God of Destruction—to be on the verge of such a state.
"I'm not going to touch it," he decided. "I'll unlock your pure, mortal potential to its absolute limit, but I'm leaving the 'God-Tier' power asleep. It's too soon. You aren't ready to control it yet."
Normally, the Old Kai wasn't stingy, but Lisette's "Xenoverse" power was an anomaly. Unlocking it without mastery was a recipe for universal disaster.
Another fifteen hours passed, and the ritual finally concluded.
Lisette stood up and checked her internal reserves. She could feel the deliberate "limiter" the Old Kai had placed on her divine core, but the rest of her potential was wide open. Her physical appearance hadn't changed, but her base power had skyrocketed without the slightest strain on her body.
"Hah!"
She flared her ki slightly. The mere pressure tore a hole in the dimension, revealing the interior of the Lookout through a shimmering rift. In the original history, it had taken a Super Saiyan 3 fusion like Gotenks to achieve such a feat. Now, Lisette could do it with a casual shrug.
This will do, she thought. Janemba won't know what hit him.
***
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