Throughout the past night, Yamiru had been attempting, from every direction and at the farthest possible distances, to sense any powerful individuals that might exist in this world.
Or rather, demons.
Or perhaps even a Demon King.
If Yamiru remembered correctly, one of the fairy tale books Bulma had read as a child recorded the myths of this era.
Combined with the various legends he had heard over the years, most of them inevitably revolved around evil spirits, demons, and Demon Kings.
Back when he first searched for the Dragon Balls alongside Tights, Bulma, and Son Goku, they had found an underground cavern that indeed documented the legend of a Great Demon King named Satan...
As for sensing others' ki from an extreme distance—while it was neither impossible nor simple—
in the manga, Son Goku was even able to sense the inhabitants of New Namek across countless light-years!
Though that was thanks to North Kai pointing him in the right direction, it still demonstrated just how powerful a fully powered Super Saiyan Goku had become.
But if it was limited to this planet—if the targets he sought possessed an abnormally immense strength—
then even Yamiru, as he was now, should be able to detect them with some effort.
After all, in the Saiyan and Cell arcs of the manga, even Master Roshi and Korin's sensory abilities were not far behind Goku and the others. In some cases, their keen eyes surpassed them, proving just how sharp a martial arts master's ability to sense ki could be...
Yet, to his shock, what Yamiru sensed after an entire night of searching left him utterly shaken.
Was this really Earth?
He couldn't help but doubt it.
Because in every direction across this land, there was an overwhelming presence of demonic ki—so densely packed that even the weakest among them, by Yamiru's estimation, would have a battle power of at least 100.
And amidst this endless tide of demonic ki, there were six utterly terrifying presences!
Like six black suns fallen upon the mortal realm, their oppressive force was suffocating.
As the sky brightened, Yamiru's heart only grew heavier.
A martial artist's ki sense wasn't as simplistic as the battle power scouters used by Freeza's forces, which only displayed a number representing strength. Martial artists could discern the nature of ki—
whether it was good or evil, righteous or malevolent.
They could even pick up emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and fear.
What Yamiru sensed throughout the night—the cruelty of these demons, the bloodshed, the fear they spread, the despair, and the inherent malice—
to him, it was nothing short of spiritual contamination.
He sat dazed atop a tree, rubbing his forehead as he rested for a moment.
Ordinary people could feel depressed just from listening to someone complain about life's trivial troubles, absorbing a bit of negative energy.
But what Yamiru had endured all night—sensing the sheer magnitude of demonic ki blanketing the land, especially those six demonic monarchs looming like abyssal shadows—
if he hadn't been hardened by years of hardships and trials, he might have broken down completely.
In the manga, was the gap between Master Roshi and Demon King Piccolo truly that vast?
Was it really an unwinnable fight?
Because ever since Master Roshi saw that scrap of paper bearing the ominous "Demon" character foretelling the return of the Demon King,
he had never once considered fighting to win.
Instead, his sole plan was to gather the Dragon Balls and use Shenron to eliminate the Demon King.
Even if Master Roshi himself had aged and felt he couldn't defeat the old Demon King,
he must have known better than anyone that Tien and Goku had already surpassed him—and that they possessed limitless potential.
Furthermore, the humans slaughtered by Piccolo's rampage could have all been revived with Shenron,
so long as they kept just one Dragon Ball hidden away (since the main group already knew that hiding it inside an animal's stomach would shield it from the Dragon Radar).
It was possible that Roshi simply couldn't bear to see so many people die tragically.
But if that were truly the reason, then why, upon witnessing Piccolo swallow the Dragon Balls,
did he not choose to retreat temporarily but instead stake everything on an all-or-nothing gamble?
And why did the Evil Containment Wave miss its mark?
Miss so badly that it almost looked like he threw the fight on purpose—it was downright ridiculous.
Yamiru refused to believe that Roshi's hands were shaking from old age.
After all, in the World Martial Arts Tournament, the old man displayed extraordinary prowess—
effortlessly toying with opponents, pulling off hypnosis techniques, drunken fist, and even his trump card, the Bankoku-Bukkiru-Shou, chaining one attack after another.
That was hardly the work of a frail, trembling elder.
Yamiru found it ridiculous to claim that the Evil Containment Wave hadn't been practiced in ages. Even Tien had trained in advance—was it really possible that Master Roshi had never secretly rehearsed it?
After all, Roshi carried a rice cooker capsule with him at all times, and back then, their plan had only been to steal King Piccolo's Dragon Balls.
If Roshi had anticipated that using the Evil Containment Wave might be necessary, then he must have practiced it beforehand.
The only explanation Yamiru could come up with was that, in his youth, Roshi had been so terrified after witnessing King Piccolo's aura that it had left a lasting psychological scar. The moment he saw King Piccolo again, all the fear from back then surged back. At that point, the only thing that came to his mind was the Evil Containment Wave, even if it meant perishing together with his enemy.
Even so, even with mental preparation and prior training, when he finally stood face-to-face with his nightmare, the old master still trembled.
Yamiru wasn't trying to belittle Master Roshi.
At this moment, no one understood Roshi better than Yamiru.
The auras of the six Demon Kings in this era were far more terrifying than the "Great" King Piccolo that Roshi had once encountered.
That was precisely why Yamiru speculated about Roshi's psychological state.
"The Supreme Elderly Lord really isn't reliable… doesn't she worry about giving me a psychological trauma?"
Yamiru rubbed his temples, trying to relieve the pressure weighing on his mind.
Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and Goku didn't have this kind of childhood trauma because they were simply more talented than Master Roshi. Otherwise, why else would their power levels skyrocket like rockets, one after another, surpassing the so-called God of Martial Arts?
As for Yamiru…
The overwhelming pressure of the six Demon Kings weighed on his mind even more than King Piccolo's presence had affected Roshi.
However, on the other hand, having lived two lives and endured countless hardships, Yamiru's mental resilience was indeed stronger than that of the young Mutaito's disciple, Roshi.
And there was another psychological advantage he had over Roshi—he understood far better that in this world, there was no limit to how powerful monsters could be.
When a young Roshi saw King Piccolo, his entire worldview shattered and froze in terror. But Yamiru, having seen much more, had a stronger ability to readjust. Even if his worldview trembled, he could quickly stabilize himself again.
"Finally, I've calmed down." Yamiru exhaled softly and shook his head. "Most of those guys out in the universe don't have the ability to sense ki. Now that I think about it, that actually makes sense. There are so many monstrous beings out there—if everyone could sense ki, entire species might go insane… Imagine Freeza rolling by in his little hover pod and scaring people into madness just by passing a planet."
Jumping down from the tree, Yamiru composed himself.
"However…"
He turned his gaze in a particular direction.
That night, he hadn't only sensed the six terrifying Demon King auras.
Martial artists who could sense ki might develop psychological trauma from the overwhelming presence of demonic energy. But on the other hand, this ability also made it more accurate than any other method to determine… who was an enemy and who was a friend.
In that direction, Yamiru sensed a strong and righteous ki.
Like a lighthouse in this dark age.
Truly a perplexing feeling.