"It's you?" After a brief moment of thought, Taro recognized the figure before him.
Though the man's appearance had aged noticeably, perhaps because his race from that particular planet always looked peculiar to Taro, even in youth, the aging didn't obscure his ability to recognize him.
It was Gaia, the once celestial being. Now, a bright yellow halo hovered above his head, a clear sign he was dead. Years ago, under Taro's coercion, Gaia had helped locate and rescue the eccentric scientist, Fabeli, from imprisonment. That event had left Gaia with a lasting impression of Taro. Seeing him now brought a complex expression to his face.
"Who is he?" Hathaway asked, holding their child in one arm while her other hand was clasped by Taro.
"Gaia," Taro replied simply. As he had just been recounting that part of his past to Hathaway, she immediately understood and couldn't hide her surprise.
"To think i'd run into you here on Grand Kai's Planet," Gaia sighed softly. Since his death, he'd wandered the heavens alone. Encountering Taro here evoked the warmth of meeting a familiar face in a foreign land.
Gaia glanced at Taro, Hathaway, and the wide-eyed little Tam in her arms. None of them bore halos, a clear indication they were alive.
Living beings in the Other World, especially on the sacred Grand Kai's Planet — it was unheard of.
Gaia's gaze lingered on Taro. His appearance was the same as decades ago. Decades of time had left no trace on him, no sign of aging or change. Gaia had already found Taro unfathomable back then, but now, it seemed his earlier assessment of Taro's depth had been far too shallow.
In the heavens, Gaia had encountered countless martial artists who aspired to set foot on Grand Kai's Planet. These spirits were already powerful, meritorious souls who had ascended to paradise with physical bodies, yet even they lacked the qualifications to step onto this planet.
But here stood Taro, a mere mortal, alive and well. And not just him. He'd brought along his wife and child. Hathaway and little Tam's relationships to Taro were obvious, and their ki was so weak that it was apparent they were ordinary people with no martial skills whatsoever.
Hathaway glanced at the halo above Gaia's head, then leaned toward Taro and whispered, "You said he was a god being from another planet… How did he die?"
Thanks to Taro's explanations along the way, she had learned that dead spirits with physical bodies bore halos in the Other World. She also knew Earth had its own god, whose lifespans were incredibly long.
(Taro himself was unclear whether Kami longevity was due to his Namekian biology or his divine role as Guardian of Earth.)
While Hathaway wasn't surprised that a god retained a physical body after death, she was puzzled by how one had died so early.
Gaia's ears twitched, clearly hearing Hathaway's whispered question but pretending not to. However, Hathaway's keen observation caught the slight shift in his expression, revealing he had noticed her hushed words. She quickly diverted her attention, focusing on soothing her son instead.
Taro glanced at Gaia and asked directly, "Was your planet destroyed by Frieza's army?"
"Frieza's army?" Gaia's face showed surprise, as though the term was unfamiliar.
When Frieza's forces invaded Gaia's planet, they had targeted the federal government first. After their demands for unconditional surrender were rejected, they annihilated the government with a single blast and continued obliterating every visible structure. These buildings, unsuited to the aesthetic tastes of their wealthy cosmic clients, were deemed expendable. Rebuilding them later would be trivial.
For the galaxy's wealthiest elites, who collaborated with Frieza's army to buy and sell planets, reconstructing an entire planet was an effortless endeavor. Over time, they had even developed an efficient "post-disaster reconstruction" process through their shared experiences.
In short, Gaia's planet was destroyed with startling speed. The invaders had casually inquired about their leader's willingness to surrender, and upon receiving a predictable refusal, they swiftly concluded the conflict.
Gaia had died in a state of confusion, only realizing his fate when he awoke in the Other World. Even then, King Yemma had no habit of recounting the specifics of one's demise. Due to Gaia's status as a god, King Yemma had sent him directly to Heaven, granting him a physical body.
In Heaven, Gaia wandered aimlessly for decades, knowing no one. His predecessor, the god who had trained him, was nowhere to be found. Perhaps his master had either avoided crossing paths with him or had already grown weary of existence and chosen to reincarnate. Whatever the case, Gaia remained alone.
Gaia could only learn that he had died at the hands of Frieza's army by encountering someone like Taro: someone who not only knew about Frieza and his forces during their lifetime but also had achieved enough merit to ascend to Heaven, gain a body, and interact with Gaia. After all, most souls in Heaven were incorporeal, making communication with someone like Gaia, who had a physical body, nearly impossible.
Such a meeting was exceedingly improbable.
"It seems Frieza's men are straightforward in their invasions," Taro thought, analyzing the situation. "And Gaia, being a powerless, down-on-his-luck god, wouldn't have been involved in any negotiations when Frieza's army arrived." He explained aloud, "Frieza's army is a coalition of exceptionally strong individuals from across the universe. Their primary activity is invading habitable planets — conquering, destroying, and then selling them to other cosmic beings. Your planet was just one of many."
"How could such a thing exist…" Gaia murmured, his voice filled with disbelief.
Taro shook his head and continued, "After I left your planet with Fabeli, he confided in me the reason behind his drastic change in behavior and his destructive tendencies. He had discovered the existence of invaders with overwhelming power, the very ones I mentioned — Frieza's army. That revelation drove him to disrupt and sabotage your planetary federation's space exploration and interstellar research. Although his efforts had little effect, the federation dismissed him as a criminal and labeled his warnings as delusions."
Gaia's expression grew increasingly complicated, but Taro pressed on.
"Fabeli's methods were naive. He thought the invaders would only find your planet because of your space exploration. He didn't realize that these invaders, masters of planetary destruction, have their own sophisticated methods for locating habitable planets. Whether your planet broadcasted signals to the universe or remained isolated and primitive didn't matter. Whether you exposed yourselves or not made no difference. If your planet fell within their scope of conquest or suited their needs, they would inevitably find it. It was only a matter of time."
Taro paused, observing the ever-changing emotions on Gaia's face before speaking calmly, "Destroying your planet was just good business to them."
His words carried a weight that silenced Gaia, leaving him in deep thought. Eventually, Gaia tilted his head to gaze at the vast ruby-like sky above Grand Kai's Planet. The massive crimson canopy seemed to resemble the dark, cold void of space. He let out a long sigh. "The universe is cruel."
"The strong impose their will on the weak, whether through conquest or destruction. It's a universal truth," Taro replied. "The only difference is that when time and space are scaled up, the weak tend to forget this. If the universe were reduced to a forest, rabbits wouldn't think themselves safe when tigers hunt daily."
Gaia fell silent, and even Hathaway beside Taro seemed lost in thought. Perhaps the heavy topic had subdued everyone, as little Tam, nestled in Hathaway's arms, stopped fussing.
Before parting ways, Taro learned that Gaia had come to Grand Kai's Planet to witness the rare martial arts tournament.
"I don't think I'll remain in Heaven much longer," Gaia said. "So when I got the chance to witness this event, I took it. And you? I assume you came for the same reason."
"We came to watch, just like you," Hathaway replied with a smile as she held Tam. "As for him, he's here to compete."
Gaia wasn't surprised. Even now, he could sense the boundless and unfathomable ki emanating from Taro. With a hint of concern, he offered a friendly warning: "I've heard there are many formidable fighters in the Other World. Be cautious." After a pause, he added, "I hope you achieve great results."
"Hmm," Taro nodded without further comment.
The family of three departed, leaving Gaia standing silently in the crowd. After a while, he began making his way toward the tournament venue. His abrupt death had left many regrets, and now he longed to witness just how powerful an individual could become.
With an hour remaining before the appointed time, Taro led Hathaway and Tam on a leisurely stroll. Grand Kai's Planet, though dotted with inhabited buildings and roads, lacked cities. Most of the landscape remained pristine and natural.
After wandering for about half an hour, Taro sensed an increasing concentration of ki around Grand Kai's location. He was about to teleport his family there when Hathaway asked, "Do you think… that Frieza's army will ever come to Earth?"