NOVEL WEB Chapter 40 Another Pawn
"Hey! Buu, wait up!!" Under the bright blue sky, a short, frantic figure was chasing after a chubby, pink creature.
Majin Buu, newly revived and filled with curiosity about the world, floated along gleefully, eyes darting in every direction like a child in a candy store. As Buu drifted farther away, Babidi grew more and more anxious, shouting furiously:
"Damn it, you idiot Buu! If you don't stop right now, I'll seal you up again!"
Just then, a thunderous explosion echoed in the distance. Flying through the air, Babidi looked ahead, eyes widening in disbelief as he saw a city suddenly engulfed in dark smoke and shadow.
"Was that... Buu?" He stammered.
But the next instant, he crashed face-first into Majin Buu's soft belly. Buu, too, was staring at the city, head tilted with curiosity.
——
In the heart of the city, chaos reigned. People screamed and scattered like ants fleeing a fire, their faces twisted in terror. A once-thriving metropolis now lay in ruins, ravaged by a terrifying creature that had only a lower half.
Despite missing its upper body, the monster radiated destructive power. Energy pulsed from its form, raw, chaotic, and overwhelming.
Buildings crumbled as it rampaged, and in less than a minute, the entire city had been flattened.
Meanwhile, over in West City at the Capsule Corporation, a bizarre sight was unfolding.
A strange old man, completely pink and clearly not of Earth, knelt respectfully before Bulma. His name was Hoi, a wizard with a troubled expression.
"Please, I beg you!" He cried. "Use the Dragon Balls to open this music box! Only by releasing the hero inside can we hope to defeat that monster!"
He held out the ornate music box with both hands, desperation in his eyes. Bulma studied him. Though his appearance was strange, his tone was sincere.
But she shook her head apologetically. "I'm sorry. The Dragon Balls vanished seven years ago. We haven't been able to find them since."
Then her eyes brightened with confidence. "But don't worry, my husband will stop that thing. I promise."
Something flickered behind Hoi's eyes at her words. "Is that so?"
Bulma nodded, unshaken. "I really mean it. He's faced worse. That monster doesn't stand a chance."
The moment she said that, Hoi's expression darkened. The act vanished, replaced with cold intensity. He stood upright, eyes narrowing with fury. Without another word, Hoi leapt into the sky, flying directly toward the city, and the monster's lower half.
The creature's name was Hirudegarn, a Demon God once awakened by dark sorcerers a millennium ago.
Under their control, Hirudegarn had nearly destroyed the universe, until two legendary warriors stood against him.
With the help of a priest, Hirudegarn was split in two and sealed within the bodies of those heroes. To ensure the seal held, the two sacrificed themselves, trapping each half of the Demon God within two enchanted music boxes.
Recently, Hoi had managed to unseal the lower half of Hirudegarn, and used it to kill one of the ancient heroes. That gave him full control over its power. But the upper half remained locked within the other music box, sealed so tightly even his dark magic couldn't release it.
That's why he came to Earth. He needed the Dragon Balls to summon Shenron and break the final seal.
The monster's earlier rampage? It was staged, Hoi had unleashed Hirudegarn's lower half himself, all to make Bulma believe his story and help him use the Dragon Balls.
But now that he knew the Dragon Balls were gone, his plan changed. If he couldn't free the rest of Hirudegarn... he would simply destroy Earth.
Just as Hoi prepared to strike, two figures suddenly appeared behind him, completely undetected.
"Hey, you," One of them called out casually, "You're the guy who summoned that oversized lower-half puppet, aren't you?"
Hoi's whole body stiffened. He hadn't even sensed their approach. Hoi turned to see an even more grotesque creature glaring coldly at him.
Standing next to the hideous figure was a large, round, pink being.
"Who are you?!" Hoi snapped, instinctively raising his guard.
Babidi's sharp eyes narrowed as they fell upon the music box in Hoi's hands.
{Such dark energy... How intriguing.}
A wicked grin crept across Babidi's face. "Seems like whatever's inside that box is sealed... but breaking it? That's child's play for me."
"If you agree to serve me, I'll release it for you."
Hoi took a step back, frowning. "Why should I trust you? Who the hell are you?"
"I am the greatest sorcerer alive, Babidi," he declared proudly, "and this here is Majin Buu."
At the name, Hoi's expression twisted in disbelief. As a practitioner of dark magic himself, he had heard plenty of legends. Majin Buu, an ancient terror who once plunged the universe into chaos. That creature was standing right in front of him?
"Impossible! Majin Buu was sealed away by Bibidi long ago!"
Babidi chuckled darkly. "Correct. My father Bibidi sealed him, but I'm the one who brought him back."
As the two wizards argued, Majin Buu looked increasingly bored. His eyelids drooped, and he began to nod off mid-air like a sleepy child. Hoi still looked uncertain, his body tense and eyes wary. But Babidi was done being patient. His smile vanished.
"I gave you a chance," he growled. "You didn't take it."
"Buu! Turn him into a cookie. You're hungry anyway."
At once, Buu perked up, eyes gleaming with delight. In a flash of light, Hoi screamed, and was instantly turned into a cookie.
Buu laughed, munching away happily. The music box dropped from the air, landing with a dull thud. Babidi swooped down and picked it up, examining it carefully.
"As expected. It's sealed tight. No wonder that third-rate sorcerer couldn't open it. But for someone like me…"
He raised his staff. A pulse of crackling energy washed over the music box, encasing it in a shimmering glow.
Moments later, the seal gave way with a faint chime.
From within emerged a tall, red-haired warrior carrying a long blade. He had a proud bearing and the aura of a god, yet there was tension in his eyes.
The warrior's name was Tapion.
Unknown to Babidi, Tapion held within him the upper half of the Demon God, Hirudegarn.
Their eyes met.
Babidi instantly sensed the monstrous power lurking inside the warrior's body.
"You fiend! What have you done?!" Tapion yelled, realizing the gravity of the situation.
Babidi simply smiled and pointed his staff at him. A strange, glowing light enveloped Tapion's form, and then came the soul-wrenching pain. Tapion screamed, his voice raw with agony, as the dark magic tore at the seal inside him.
He could feel Hirudegarn being forced awake, its power clawing its way out.
Gritting his teeth, Tapion moved his trembling hand to his back. With a desperate shout, he unsheathed his sword.
If he was going to die, he'd take the monster with him.
But Babidi was faster.
With a flick of his wrist, a bolt of magic knocked the sword from Tapion's grip. It clanged to the ground uselessly.
And then, Tapion vanished.
In his place, a thick fog erupted, swirling violently.
From the mist emerged the terrifying upper half of Hirudegarn, monstrous and incomplete, but very real.
"It's out!" Babidi shouted gleefully. "I really am a genius!"
With wicked precision, Babidi combined the upper and lower halves of the Demon God.
The fully restored Hirudegarn now loomed tall behind him, massive, monstrous, and trembling with power.
A glowing "M" had appeared on the monster's forehead.
Now Hirudegarn, like Buu, was under Babidi's control.
Another legendary movie villain… turned into Babidi's pawn.
"Come on, Buu," he said, floating higher. "Let's go. We still need to find Broly."
(End of Chapter)
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