"If that's what you think, then let's keep going," Goku said calmly.
Moro hated that expression more than anything. "How long are you going to keep looking at me like that? Hurry up and show me how terrified you really are!"
They clashed again. Goku drove a kick toward Moro's side, and although Moro managed to block it with one arm, the limb immediately began trembling from the force. Sweat gathered across his forehead as he clenched his teeth, then suddenly enlarged the arm dozens of times over and brought a colossal fist crashing down toward Goku.
Goku slipped aside before it landed, shot into the air, and twisted into a clean side kick that struck Moro squarely in the back. The impact sent strange bulges rippling beneath Moro's skin, and within seconds his entire upper body had swollen several times larger than before.
"Hahaha! Useless!" Moro shouted, though the sweat pouring down his face told a very different story.
Jaco stared at him. "What's happening to his body?"
"He can't handle the Angel power," Ken explained. "It's starting to overwhelm him from the inside."
Jaco suddenly remembered something rather important and hurriedly added, "Oh, right. I never thanked you for saving me earlier."
Ken waved it off. "Someone from the Demon Realm was never going to control Angel power properly in the first place."
He glanced toward the little demoness as he spoke. She remained silent, but her expression tightened when Moro's body swelled again.
Goku launched himself upward once more and drove another heavy kick into Moro's chest. Blood sprayed from Moro's mouth, and the impact made his already distorted body expand even further.
"Moro, that's Angel power," Goku said. "It's something you have to reach through your own training. Almost nobody can even comprehend it properly, so trying to steal it through absorption was never going to work. If you keep forcing it, your body will destroy itself."
Moro laughed wildly despite the pain. "Don't make me laugh! I have no limit! Do you have any idea how many planets and living beings I've consumed?"
"You've already reached your limit."
"Shut up!"
Moro lunged in fury, but Goku avoided him with ease and drove another kick into the side of his head. Moro crashed face-first into the ground and lay there trembling, his entire body swollen and unstable.
When he turned his head toward the little demoness, what hurt even more than Goku's attacks was the look in her eyes.
Disappointment.
Moro's expression twisted. "I refuse to accept this! I just need a body that can withstand this power!"
He began forcing his energy outward, intending to merge himself with Earth.
Ken moved first.
A casual sweep of his staff sent Angel power rushing over Moro's body. Moro screamed as his form twisted violently, but the transformation lasted only an instant. Where the ancient wizard had been lying moments earlier, there was now a goat.
Ken raised one hand, and a small knife appeared in his palm.
The little demoness immediately realized what was about to happen.
The knife flashed through the air and sliced off one of Moro's legs before darting across his body several more times. Several chunks of meat fell away, and a skewer passed neatly through them before Moro could even process what was happening.
His bleating cries filled the battlefield.
Ken placed the skewered meat over the charcoal grill.
The little demoness finally turned her head away, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. This was far beyond anything she had expected. Not only had Ken turned her precious pet back into a goat, he was actually grilling him.
One day, she would make her brother beat this infuriating Angel senseless for what he had done to her Moro.
Ken, meanwhile, addressed everyone else as though the battle had ended in the most ordinary way imaginable. "All right, everyone. Show's over. There isn't enough meat for all of you, so go home."
Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Kale, and the others landed nearby, several of them casting strangely sympathetic looks toward the goat that had just been Moro.
Goku scratched his head. "Ken, what exactly is going on?"
"Nothing complicated. This whole thing was training for you guys." Ken turned the skewers over the fire. "Now that the training is over, everyone can go back to their own lives."
"Okay..." Goku sniffed the air and looked toward the grill. "That actually smells pretty good."
Ken ignored the comment.
Goku thought for a moment before asking, "By the way, did Merus really disappear?"
"More or less."
Ken brushed oil across the meat, and the smell of barbecue spread even farther through the air.
Goku's eyes suddenly lit up. "Wait. You're not doing all this because it can somehow help Merus come back, are you?"
"That's more or less the idea."
Goku nodded as though everything suddenly made perfect sense. "Got it. Then I'll stop bothering you."
Vegeta looked over as well. "You can actually restore Merus this way?"
Instead of answering directly, Ken looked toward both Saiyans. "You two should keep training after you get back. I have a feeling Zeno-sama may organize a martial arts tournament involving all the universes before too long."
Goku immediately perked up. "Really? That sounds great."
"Train properly," Ken continued. "And don't embarrass Universe 6."
Vegeta clicked his tongue. He was already irritated enough that Kakarot had surpassed him again, and now there might be another tournament on the horizon.
Fine.
If there really was going to be a tournament involving every universe, then he would surpass Kakarot before it happened. Ultra Instinct wasn't the only path available to a Saiyan.
Vegeta had Ultra Ego.
One by one, Goku, Jaco, and the others said goodbye and left.
Once they were gone, Ken finished grilling the skewers and turned the rest of Moro into a whole roast goat.
Moro died.
It was not remotely the glorious death he had ever imagined for himself.
Ken picked up one of the skewers and offered it to the little demoness. She immediately turned her face away.
"Don't you want to try some?"
"You... you..." Her whole body trembled with rage. "I'm not eating that!"
"Suit yourself."
Ken did not insist. Instead, he looked toward the empty air beside him and called out, "Merus, how's it going? Don't rush the body reconstruction. Come try some grilled lamb first."
A translucent figure slowly appeared.
It was Merus.
He took one look at Ken casually eating barbecue beside the remains of Moro and seemed to lose the ability to form words for several seconds.
"I'm rebuilding my body," Merus finally said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Can't I finish that first and eat with you afterward?"
Ken looked thoughtful. "We're missing beer."
Merus decided not to respond to that.
Ken held out another skewer. "Seriously, want some?"
Merus hesitated before giving in. "Fine. I'll try it."
He took the skewer and bit into the meat.
The instant he swallowed, his eyes widened.
Something had changed.
Merus could clearly feel the reconstruction of his body accelerating several times over.
He stared at Ken, then at the skewer in his hand, and immediately finished the rest without hesitation.
Ken only smiled.
Merus examined his fading body and found that more than half of it had already become solid again. Under normal circumstances, fully reconstructing himself would have taken at least a month. One skewer had already done more than weeks of natural recovery.
If he ate another, would his body be completely restored?
The little demoness had noticed it too. She looked between Merus and the grilled meat, finally realizing that something was very strange about Moro's remains.
Could eating him really have that kind of effect?
Her expression shifted.
"Can I... have one?"
Ken smiled. "I offered you one earlier and you refused. Now you want it?"
She bit her lip and nodded.
"No."
The refusal came without hesitation.
The little demoness stared at him in disbelief.
Ken immediately pulled her back inside his body before she could argue, leaving her to rage helplessly within.
He had absolutely done that on purpose.
First he had eaten her beloved Moro, then offered her the meat knowing she would refuse, only to let Merus demonstrate its value afterward and deny her when she changed her mind.
This infuriating Angel had set the whole thing up.
One day, her brother was going to destroy him.
"Another one," Merus said, unable to hide his excitement.
Ken handed him a second skewer.
Merus ate it quickly, and this time the change was even more dramatic. His body became almost completely solid, the transparency disappearing entirely.
He stared at himself in amazement. "Why is this working so well?"
"Moro copied part of your Angel power," Ken explained. "I'm just processing what remained inside his body through the barbecue and letting you absorb it back."
Merus's eyes brightened. "So this isn't only helping me rebuild my body. It's also refining my Angel power?"
"More or less."
"You really helped me out, Ken."
Ken smiled. "Don't mention it. You're my best friend, after all."
Merus immediately became emotional.
Ken actually considered him his best friend.
Ken laughed softly. "Besides, if it weren't for you back then, I might never have become a true Angel myself."
He handed Merus a third skewer.
Merus ate it, and this time he immediately felt the purity of his Angel power surging upward. His level rose along with it, climbing rapidly as brilliant light erupted from his entire body.
When the radiance finally settled, Merus took a deep breath and carefully sensed his new strength.
"Level 67..." His eyes widened. "I'm level 67!"
Ken looked mildly impressed. "Not bad. That's one or two levels higher than I expected."
Merus stared at the remaining skewers and then at the whole roast goat beside the grill. Three skewers had already pushed him to level 67.
If he ate the entire goat, could he reach level 80?
The thought alone made his eyes shine.
Even so, he didn't immediately reach for more. Instead, he looked toward Ken. "You should eat too. Wouldn't this raise your level as well?"
"You first."
Ken handed him another skewer.
Merus nearly teared up again. "There's plenty left. We can split it. You really do treat me well."
"Just eat."
Ken's smile carried a trace of mystery.
Merus nodded and happily finished the fourth skewer.
Then he froze.
Nothing happened.
His level had not increased, and his Angel power felt exactly the same as before.
Merus looked at Ken in confusion.
"Think about it," Ken said.
Merus rubbed his head and considered the problem carefully. After several seconds, his expression turned serious.
"Did I already reach my limit? My level is extremely high now. Even among full Angels, I should rank near the top."
"No."
Merus blinked. "I haven't?"
"Of course not."
"Then why didn't my Angel power increase?"
"Because that skewer didn't contain any."
Merus stared at him. "What?"
Then realization struck.
Now that he thought carefully about it, the previous skewer had only tasted good. He hadn't actually sensed any Angel power inside it.
Ken laughed. "Only the first three skewers contained Angel power. The rest don't."
Merus immediately understood the larger picture. "Right... Moro copied my abilities, but he never became overwhelmingly stronger from them. Most of the Angel power must have dispersed because his body couldn't withstand it. So after I rebuilt my body, there actually wasn't that much of my power left inside him to reclaim."
"Exactly." Ken nodded. "Most of your level increase came from reconstructing your body. The first three skewers only helped guide that process, and I also infused some of my own Angel power while cooking them so you could get more out of it."
Merus's eyes filled with tears again. "Ken... thank you."
"I'm happy to see you reach this level."
Ken stood and patted him on the shoulder.
Merus looked toward the remaining skewers and the whole roast goat. "Then what are we doing with all of this?"
"It's already cooked." Ken grinned. "Take it home for your sister."
Merus stared at him.
Even after all this, Ken was still thinking about his sister.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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