Chapter 67: Mai's Surrender

  "It's you again."

  Upon seeing Pif, Mai, and Shu in the castle, Cyrus soared toward them on the Bck Cloud.

  Pif was a short, monster-like Earthling. In the inal Dragon Ball, he was Goku's first official enemy, with Shu and Mai as his subordinates.

  Despite his diminutive and stout appearance, Pif harbrand ambitions, dreaming of quering the world by colleg all the Dragon Balls.

  Rather than true vilins, they were better described as edians. Every time they attempted to collect the Dragon Balls or summon the dragon, they iably failed due to one mishap or another. In short, they were a trio destio be both funny and pitiable.

  "Who are you, little one?!"

  Though fear flickered in his eyes, Pif feigned ess, gring at Cyrus with forced bravado.

  These bastards had actually destroyed his castle. How despicable!

  "My name is Cyrus. Don't worry about anything else," he said calmly. "The st Dragon Ball is with yht? Go fetch it for me."

  Cyrus patted Pif on the shoulder as he spoke.

  "Dragon Ball?" Pif's eyes narrowed in defiance. "Don't even think about it! That belongs to King Pif!"

  Hearing that Cyrus inteo take the Dragon Ball, Pif became enraged and ftly refused.

  "Master Pif," A Xiu hesitated, his voice trembling. "This guy, Cyrus, seems incredibly powerful. Maybe we should hand over the Dragon Ball for now?"

  "Yes, yes, Master Pif," Mai added, nodding anxiously.

  "Shut up, you traitors!" Pif snapped, gring at his subordinates. "The Dragon Ball is the key to realizing my ambition! I won't give it up—not even if it costs me my life!"

  Scolding Shu and Mai for their spinelessness, Pif barked in a tough, anding tone.

  "Master Pif..."

  Shu and Mai exged worried gnces, but Cyrus had no patience for their hesitation.

  With a casual wave of his hand, a Qigong bst shot out from his fiips.

  BOOM!

  The Qigong bomb exploded in the desert tens of thousands of meters away. The earth shook violently, and the deafening roar echoed across the horizon, shaking the very air. The sheer force of the explosion made it feel like the end of the world.

  Staring bnkly at the destru in the distance, Pif, Shu, and Mai turned pale, their mouths dry as they swallowed hard in fear.

  "Now," Cyrus said with a calm smile, "will you hand over the Dragon Ball?"

  Pif froze, his body trembling as if he were being stared down by the most terrifying demon imaginable. Snapping out of his stupor, he forced a nervous grin.

  "Oh, it's Lord Cyrus!" he stammered. "Please wait a moment—I’ll fetch the Dragon Ball right away!"

  Practically tripping over himself, Pif scrambled to the side, retrieved a box taining the Dragon Balls, and prese to Cyrus with great care and exaggerated attentiveness.

  Bulma, Taisi, and the irls looked on with disdain, while Shu and Mai colpsed to the ground in fear.

  Pif had just been proudly deg that the Dragon Ball was essential for realizing his ambitions and that he would never surre—even at the cost of his life.

  But now...

  Lord Pif, where is your ambition? Where is your moral iy?

  "Good."

  Cyrus examihe Dragon Ball in the box, nodding with satisfa. With this final piece, they had now collected all the Dragon Balls.

  "Um, Master Cyrus, may we leave now?" Pif asked cautiously, nervously rubbing his hands together.

  "You may," Cyrus replied.

  "Then we'll take our leave now, hahaha..."

  Relieved to have escaped unharmed, Pif and his subordinates exhaled in unison, turning to make their escape.

  But—

  "Stop."

  Cyrus's cold, indifferent voice froze them iracks. They stiffeurning back with pale faces.

  "Master Cyrus... didn’t you just say..." Pif stammered.

  "I said you leave," Cyrus interrupted, his expression unging. "But I didn’t say all of you could leave."

  Pif's face twisted in fusion and fear as Cyrus tinued, his voice chilling.

  "Only two of you are allowed to go. As for the remaining one..."

  Cyrus’s lips curled into a dark, sinister smile, ohat sent shivers down their spines.

  Staring at Cyrus, Pif and his subordinates felt their hearts tremble, an icy chill gripping their entire bodies.

  He was only allowing two of them to leave? What a cold-blooded, heartless devil!

  "Lord Pif, who among us will stay?" Shu asked hesitantly, his voice quivering.

  There was no doubt—the o behind would faimagiorment at the hands of the demon-like Cyrus. The three exged uneasy gnces, and then—

  "Mai, please stay!"

  "I'm sorry, Mai!"

  Without a shred of hesitation, Pif and Shu bolted, leaving Mai standing there, disheveled and stunned as the wind swirled around her.

  She had been abandoned.

  By Lord Pif. By Shu.

  "Master Pif! Shu! Wait for me!"

  Finally snapping out of her shock, Mai took a step forward, ready to chase after them. But before she could move, Cyrus appeared in front of her in a blur, blog her path.

  "What a poor woman," Cyrus said with a mog smile, his voice dripping with false sympathy. "Abandoned by her panions... hic."

  Mai's face ale, her body trembling. She took a few shaky steps back.

  "W-What do you want to do to me?" she stammered, fear evident in her wide, tear-filled eyes.

  The betrayal by Pif and Shu, the overwhelming presence of Cyrus, and the terror of the unknown all collided within her, leaviterly lost and fused.

  "Now," Cyrus said, his tone calm yet ced with menace, "you have two choices."

  "First," he tinued, his lips curling into a cruel smile, "submit to me and serve me as my tool."

  "Sed," he paused for effect, letting the air grow heavy, "let me py with you... until you die."

  Cyrus's voice dropped to a slow, deliberate tone, his evil grin spreading wider as he watched Mai’s rea.

  "If possible, I’d prefer you to choose the sed option," Cyrus said, his voice dripping with malice.

  "I choose the first one!"

  Mai’s pale face was filled with terror as she quickly blurted out her response.

  There was no way she would choose to be "pyed to death." Absolutely not!

  Though the first choice was humiliating, at least it offered her a ce to survive. She wasn’t a fool—she knew which option to take to stay alive.

  Cyrus wasn’t the least bit surprised by her decision. A triumphant smile spread across his face.

  What a simple woman. She had been so easy to manipute, her resolve crumbling after just a little scare.

  But Cyrus liked simple-minded individuals like her. The simpler they were, the easier they were to trol.

  "Good. Now, call me Master," he anded, gently stroking her forehead with a desding air.

  "M-Master... Master," Mai stammered, her face flushing red with embarrassment. Shame coursed through her, but the suffog fear in her heart left her no choice but to ply.

  Cyrus’s grin widened with satisfa. He knew Mai’s submission was born solely out of fear, devoid of any trace of loyalty.

  But that didn’t bother him in the slightest.

  Loyalty? That would e ter... after some proper training.

  "From now on, you are my tool and subordinate. e with us," Cyrus decred, his tone leaving no room for obje.

  Without hesitation, he leapt onto the Bck Cloud, his anding presenmistakable.

  Mai hesitated, her gaze lingering on the dire where Pif and Shu had fled. Her reluce to leave her former panions was evident in her expression.

  "Why?" Cyrus sneered, his voice cutting through the silehey abandoned you without a sed thought, yet you still 't bear to leave them?"

  Mai’s entire body shuddered at his words.

  Yes. It if and Shu who had betrayed her, left her to face this monster alone. Why should she remain loyal to them?

  A wave of bitter satisfa welled up within her—a twisted sense of revenge. If they could abandohen she could abandon them.

  The hesitation in her eyes vanished. Resolute, Mai stepped forward a onto the Bck Dou Cloud without looking back.