"Energy fluctuations? Could it be that Master Roshi is using the Evil Containment Wave to seal Old King Piccolo?"
Souta followed Altair's pointing finger and looked in the direction of the commotion.
What entered his vision was an explosion of shockwaves, the wind swirling erratically, and an unknown energy creating intense flashes of light.
The sheer force... was terrifying!
In the original Dragon Ball story, Master Roshi had planned to sacrifice himself to use the Evil Containment Wave to seal Old King Piccolo inside a rice cooker.
If he had succeeded, this major villain would have been removed early, preventing the subsequent power escalation battles that defined the series.
But for the sake of the story, Roshi missed.
As a result, he exhausted himself to death, while Old King Piccolo successfully obtained five Dragon Balls. Coupled with the two he had swallowed, he had all seven.
Then, he summoned Shenron and wished for his youth to be restored.
Why didn't he wish for immortality instead?
Probably because Shenron couldn't grant it.
If Shenron could fulfill any wish, there wouldn't be restrictions like "someone who has already been revived before can't be revived again" or "people who have been dead for over a year can't be brought back."
"It looks like the Evil Containment Wave is already in motion," Kurumi suggested. "Should we help Master Roshi adjust the rice cooker's position? If Old King Piccolo gets sealed, Roshi shouldn't mind giving us the Dragon Balls."
"...Seriously?" Souta gave her a deadpan look. "By the time you finish saying that, Roshi has already missed."
"Regardless of whether he missed or not, I think that's a bad idea," Kiss-Shot interjected. "If Old King Piccolo gets sealed, how exactly do we retrieve the two Dragon Balls he swallowed?"
Since she, Kurumi, and Altair had recently rewatched the episodes of Old King Piccolo's battle with Master Roshi, they were familiar with the storyline.
"Besides, do you know where Roshi is aiming to seal him?"
"In the anime, I think it was a little to the right of the rice cooker," Kurumi said with a straight face.
Souta stared at her for a moment.
Was she joking or actually serious?
"Honestly... can you guys take this a little more seriously?" Altair sighed in exasperation. "What's the plan now?"
Souta turned his gaze back to the battlefield, observing the fight.
"Old King Piccolo has the ability to sense energy. If we rush in recklessly and get noticed, we'll have to fight him head-on. We're here for a sneak attack, so let's focus on stealing the Dragon Balls first—then we'll figure out the rest."
After assessing the situation, he turned back to the three of them.
"Sticking to our original plan—first, we use Kurumi's Shadow Space to get close without being detected. Kurumi, you can extend your Shadow Space beneath Roshi's shadow to hide while using Bullet Four to rewind his body's state, saving his life.
"Then, we wait. Once Old King Piccolo vomits out the two Dragon Balls and places them with the other five on the ground, we strike.
"Kurumi and I will stop time, Altair will grab the Dragon Balls, and Kiss-Shot will hold off any of Piccolo's subordinates if they try to interfere."
After a brief pause, he added:
"If something goes wrong and our time-stop fails, then we switch to Plan B—Kiss-Shot, you'll have to fight Old King Piccolo head-on and keep him occupied while we make our move."
"No problem. It's been a while since I had a good fight."
Kiss-Shot's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"I said that's only if something goes wrong! Don't get your hopes up," Souta reminded her.
"Once we secure the Dragon Balls, we'll assist Roshi in sealing Old King Piccolo while he's still frozen in time. That should wrap things up nicely."
Yes—Souta wasn't planning to just snatch the Dragon Balls and run.
If he left immediately, Old King Piccolo would likely slaughter everyone present—including Tien and Chiaotzu—and then rampage through human cities.
Without the Dragon Balls left behind, they'd all be permanently dead.
Souta wasn't heartless enough to just leave this mess behind.
Of course, he had discussed this plan with Kurumi, Kiss-Shot, and Altair beforehand, and since none of them had objected, it was settled.
Otherwise, if he insisted on fighting Old King Piccolo while forcing them to help, it would feel like he was just being a self-righteous idiot.
"Kurumi, is Bullet Four and Bullet Seven ready?" Souta suddenly asked.
Kurumi's time manipulation required her to manifest her "angel," absorb its energy using her guns, and then fire the corresponding time-manipulating bullets—a process that wasn't ideal for real-time combat.
So, before they left, Souta had suggested she pre-load two bullets—one Bullet Four to save Master Roshi, and one Bullet Seven to stop Old King Piccolo.
Because she only had two guns—a pistol and a rifle.
"Yes, they're ready." Kurumi nodded. "I loaded them while we were still in the real world, and I filled them with a lot of time energy. Rewinding Roshi's body and stopping Piccolo shouldn't be an issue."
Souta exhaled lightly, steadied his nerves, and said,
"Alright, let's move."
As soon as Souta gave the signal, Kurumi's shadow stretched out beneath her, expanding and swallowing the four of them into darkness.
In just a single breath's time, they had completely disappeared, without a single trace left behind.
Kurumi manipulated the Shadow Space, moving them toward the source of the energy fluctuations.
Before long, they arrived at the battlefield where Master Roshi was facing off against Old King Piccolo.
From within the Shadow Space, Kurumi silently observed the situation outside and gave a status update.
"Just as expected, the Evil Containment Wave missed! Roshi's saying his final words now—he's about to collapse."
"He won't die instantly after falling," Souta reminded her. "Wait until he's down before you move—don't risk exposing yourself too early."
Master Roshi's final words didn't last long.
After shouting, "One day, someone will defeat you!", he collapsed face-first onto the ground.
PS: Regarding the Issue of Authors and Creations in the "Re:CREATORS" World—Why Would Anyone Think the Protagonist Is a Self-Righteous Saint?
I even specifically looked up the definition of "self-righteous saint" on Baidu—it refers to someone who unconditionally forgives and tolerates others without any principles or bottom line, who holds universal love for all people and things, disregards objective reality, and bases all their actions solely on "love" and "kindness."
Since there has been some debate, I went back and slightly revised Chapter 59. The core content remains unchanged; I just softened the wording a bit. If you're interested, you can refresh the Chapter and check again.
The general idea is this—the protagonist simply dislikes seeing created beings having their fates arbitrarily controlled or tragic events written for them at the whim of their creators. He also finds it unacceptable that some authors, even after learning the truth, remain indifferent to the suffering they've caused. However, he's not looking to pick a fight with authors who are unaware of this reality—after all, if they don't know, then the act of creation itself isn't inherently wrong.
Furthermore, the protagonist isn't just complaining without taking action—he even told Altair to come to him for help. Given how deep the world of anime is, wouldn't it be easy for the protagonist to find a way to solve this issue? If even this qualifies as being a self-righteous saint, then I might as well cough up blood.
As for the protagonist's own real world, it's different from the Re:CREATORS universe. The system already explained this during Kurumi's arc—for example, altering Date A Live's story in the real world wouldn't affect the actual Date A Live universe, as they've already become independent.
Also, since the debate in the comment section has started affecting new readers, I've already deleted those comments.