"Damn it!" Kibito's voice cracked with despair as he watched their supreme leader vanish into Buu's gullet. "Even the Grand Supreme Kai... he's gone."
The East Supreme Kai slumped in the void, his fighting spirit completely shattered. Every authority figure he'd looked up to, every mentor who had guided him, all of them had fallen to this pink nightmare.
"Leila, take Kibito and return to the Sacred World of the Kais immediately!" Karnel commanded, forcing himself to swallow another Senzu Bean despite the divine energy's protests. His potential was being burned away with each magical recovery, but he had no other choice.
Leila's hands trembled as she stared at the transformed Buu. The creature's absorption of the Grand Supreme Kai had made him even more unpredictable, his savage features were now mixed with an almost childlike roundness that made his malevolence all the more disturbing.
"Karnel, don't be stubborn," she pleaded desperately. "If the Grand Supreme Kai himself couldn't defeat this monster, what hope do we have? We need to retreat and find another way."
"Another way?" Karnel's laugh was bitter and cold. "You want me to run? To flee every time I encounter a seemingly impossible opponent?" His golden aura flared as he transformed back into Super Saiyan 2, lightning crackling around his muscular frame. "If I give up now, what's the difference between me and a coward without dreams? I'd rather die fighting than live as a failure."
Leila grabbed the dejected Kibito and backed away, her heart heavy with the certainty that she was watching Karnel march to his death. "Be careful," she whispered, though she knew he couldn't hear her across the vast distance. In a flash of light, both Supreme Kais vanished through Instant Transmission.
Alone in the cosmic void, Karnel faced the transformed Fat Buu. The creature's expression had become almost playful, his eyes narrowing to amused slits as he studied his lone remaining opponent.
"Even after absorbing the Grand Supreme Kai, I'm not afraid of you," Karnel declared, his voice echoing across the empty space between shattered worlds.
The words were brave, but deep down, he could feel the difference. This wasn't the same mindless destroyer he'd been fighting before. The Grand Supreme Kai's essence had brought a terrible intelligence to Buu's raw power, making him far more dangerous than his previous incarnation.
Fat Buu chuckled, a sound like grinding stone mixed with children's laughter. Despite his bloated appearance, he moved with frightening speed, his massive fist whistling through space toward Karnel's head.
Karnel barely managed to duck the punch, feeling the displaced air ruffle his golden hair. He countered immediately, grabbing Buu's extended arm and using it as leverage to swing himself around, driving both feet into the pink demon's broad back.
The impact felt like kicking a giant marshmallow. His legs sank deep into Buu's soft flesh, becoming trapped in the creature's malleable body. Fat Buu's chuckle deepened as he suddenly contracted his back muscles like a massive spring, launching Karnel away with tremendous force.
Without air resistance to slow him down, Karnel tumbled backward through space at increasingly dangerous speeds. It took him over ten miles of rolling before he managed to arrest his momentum, quickly forming a spinning energy sphere in his palm as he regained control.
"Instant Transmission!"
Karnel materialized directly behind Fat Buu, pressing the spinning energy drill against the creature's broad back. The attack burrowed deep into Buu's flesh, but instead of organs or blood, it only revealed more pink matter beneath.
"Pathetic," Buu said with casual disdain, spinning around to deliver a bone-crushing kick to Karnel's midsection.
Even with his arms raised in defense, the impact sent waves of agony through Karnel's body as he was hurled backward once again. His vision blurred as pain receptors fired throughout his nervous system.
Back in the Sacred World of the Kais, Leila and Kibito huddled around the crystal viewing orb, watching the one-sided battle with growing horror.
"Is there any other solution?" Kibito asked desperately. "At this rate, it's only a matter of time before Karnel falls too."
"So many of us couldn't even scratch Buu," Leila replied, her voice hollow with defeat. "What can one person do alone, even someone as strong as Karnel?"
Kibito's mind raced, trying to think of any possible salvation. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he remembered something from months ago, a figure he'd glimpsed in the crystal ball during one of their routine observations.
"Wait!" he exclaimed, leaning forward intently. "There is someone... I saw him once before in the viewing orb. He seemed to be Karnel's friend, and his power level was incredible. Maybe he'd be willing to help!"
"Another warrior?" Leila's eyes lit up with the first hope she'd felt in hours. "Contact him immediately!"
Kibito focused his divine energy through the crystal ball, searching across the cosmos until he found his target. The image slowly resolved to show a figure with distinctive crystalline horns sitting beside a peaceful stream, apparently resting after some great exertion.
"I think I've finally exhausted all the strong opponents in the East Galaxy," Kairos mused to himself, examining a few minor cuts on his arms. "My power has grown tremendously since that fight with Karnel years ago. I wonder how much stronger he's become... I'd love nothing more than another chance to test our skills against each other."
"Excuse me," Kibito called out through the divine connection. "Are you Karnel's friend, Kairos? I've heard him speak of you before."
Kairos's head snapped up, his eyes scanning the sky in confusion. "Who's there? Show yourself!"
"I am East Supreme Kai Kibito. There's no time for lengthy explanations, Karnel is in mortal danger. He's fighting an evil creature that threatens the entire universe, and he's losing. Will you help him?"
The crystal-horned warrior's expression immediately shifted to intense interest. "Someone strong enough to push Karnel to his limits? How fascinating!" His fighting spirit blazed as he leaped to his feet. "Transport me there immediately! I can hardly contain my excitement!"
"Prepare yourself," Kibito warned. "I'm going to teleport you directly to the battlefield. Don't resist the energy."
Meanwhile, Karnel floated in the void, his body bearing multiple impact wounds from Buu's relentless assault. His breathing was labored, his golden aura flickering like a candle in the wind.
"Damn you," he gasped, glaring at his seemingly unharmed opponent. "I'll grind you to cosmic dust."
But the words rang hollow. Every attack he'd landed had been meaningless. Every energy blast, every physical strike, every desperate technique, none of it had left so much as a lasting mark on Buu's pink hide. His lack of raw power combined with Buu's supernatural regeneration made this a battle of pure attrition, and Karnel was clearly losing.
Suddenly, a familiar presence materialized beside him.
"Well, well," Kairos said with a cocky grin, floating casually in the void as if he owned it. "Look who's gotten himself into trouble. The mighty Karnel, who once dominated our previous figth, reduced to this sorry state by a single fat opponent. How embarrassing."
"Kairos?" Karnel's eyes widened in surprise, though he kept his guard up against Buu. "What are you doing here? The Supreme Kais must have called you."
"That's right," Kairos confirmed, cracking his knuckles with anticipation. "And I have to say, I'm disappointed. I expected you to have grown much stronger by now, but if this tubby pink thing can give you such trouble..." He shrugged dismissively. "Well, I suppose I'll have to clean up your mess before we can have our proper rematch."
Despite his exhaustion, Karnel felt compelled to warn his old rival. "Don't underestimate him, Kairos. This Buu is incredibly dangerous. He's absorbed multiple Supreme Kais and—"
"Blah, blah, blah," Kairos waved him off with a laugh. "Save your breath, Karnel. Just sit back and watch a real warrior handle this situation."