As the dimensional transfer began, the surrounding scenery turned into streaks of light, rapidly streaming past him.
In less than two seconds, it felt like entering a pitch-black tunnel.
Everything around him plunged into darkness—only for colors to quickly return, though still distorted into countless flowing lines.
Just as Broly grew curious and reached out to touch them, the scenery suddenly froze.
His figure appeared on a staircase leading down into a basement.
A rustling sound came from behind him, mixed faintly with soft, almost inaudible sobbing.
“Hm?”
Turning around, Broly saw a mass of writhing worms below the steps.
In the middle of that squirming pile was a slightly bulging cocoon—the source of the crying.
After a moment of thought, Broly jumped straight into the pile and tore open the cocoon.
Inside was a naked little girl.
Tear stains covered her face, her eyes red from crying who knew how long.
When she suddenly saw the light again, her sobbing paused in confusion.
“Are you sleeping in a pile of food?”
Broly asked curiously.
His gaze locked onto a plump white worm crawling across the girl’s chest.
Compared to the larvae of Vampa spiders, these looked far more appetizing.
He couldn’t help but swallow.
The girl was Sakura Matou.
Half a month ago, she had been sent by her father to the Matou family as an adopted daughter.
On that very day, she was brought here by an old man named Zouken Matou.
“Your magical attribute is ‘Void.’ It must be modified if you are to properly inherit the Matou family’s Magic Crest.”
That was what the frail old man had said before throwing her—newly adopted from the Tohsaka family—into this underground worm pit.
Ignoring her cries and fear, he controlled the crest worms inside, using their corrosive magical energy to erode her magical circuits.
The process was not only horrifying to witness—it was an indescribable torture for the one undergoing it.
Her entire body felt as if it were being pierced by countless needles.
From loud screaming and struggling, she gradually fell into quiet sobbing endurance over just a few days.
Still, she clung to the hope that her family would come save her.
Her elegant father… her gentle mother… even her occasionally teasing sister…
But none of them came.
Instead, a strange little boy—only slightly older than her—appeared before her.
In this hopeless environment filled with worms, he tore away the creatures biting her and crouched down, looking at her with concern.
Though she couldn’t understand his words, she knew she had to say thank you.
The etiquette she learned as a Tohsaka had not been forgotten.
Enduring the lingering pain, Sakura struggled to stand and opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was hoarse.
Only a faint whisper came out.
Broly didn’t hear her clearly.
But once she stood up and revealed herself fully, a message appeared in his mind.
[Sakura Matou — one of your collectible wives.
You may recruit her to join the Crystal Palace.]
“You’re my wife?”
Broly asked, confused.
“Huh?”
The young Sakura was stunned.
But she recalled the fairy tales her mother once told her.
Stories of princes rescuing princesses, and the two becoming husband and wife.
“I’m not your wife… but I can become your wife.”
Thinking of those stories, her situation seemed similar.
So she answered softly—this time, just loud enough to be heard.
“If you’re my wife… I’m hungry.
Do you have anything to eat?”
Broly extended his hand toward her.
The Crystal Palace had told him that a wife was someone who would give him food.
And since there’s so much food here, she should be able to share some, right?
That was what Broly thought.
Looking at the worms gathering again, his eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Suddenly becoming someone’s wife—and then immediately being asked for food by her “husband”—was something Sakura had never experienced before.
However, she had played house before.
She knew what she was supposed to do.
When the husband was hungry, the wife was supposed to serve him food.
But when she was brought into the worm pit for “modification,” she was always ordered to remove all her clothes.
Now, she had nothing on her.
Facing the boy’s outstretched hand, Sakura felt completely at a loss.
Just then, the door to the worm chamber creaked open, and a hunched figure entered, leaning on a cane.
“Sakura, who is this?”
Zouken Matou looked down from above, frowning slightly at the ragged boy who had somehow appeared in the worm pit.
“G-Grandfather…”
At the sight of him, Sakura’s body trembled.
To her, Zouken was a figure of pure terror.
“I… I don’t know him.
I’ll obediently accept the modification, please don’t punish me…”
As she spoke, fear overtook her, and she lay back down on the cold ground.
So miracles really don’t exist… Facing Grandfather, this boy who came to save me will definitely be killed…
Tears streamed down her face again—whether for the boy about to die, or for herself, who would soon have to endure more torment, she didn’t know.
“I must be getting old, letting a child sneak into the worm pit before noticing anything.
Boy, you’re quite unlucky.
Since you’ve come here, you might as well become food for the worms.
Go—eat him.”
Zouken raised his hand and gave the order.
At once, the crest worms became aggressive.
“But don’t harm Sakura.
Her body is a valuable womb for producing better descendants for the Matou family.”
The worms avoided Sakura and swarmed over Broly, their sharp teeth tearing into his flesh.
A ripping sound echoed as his tattered battle suit was shredded by their bites.
“W-waaah…”
Sakura’s sobs grew louder.
She couldn’t do anything—she had doomed someone who came to save her.
“Your grandfather… is really a good person!”
Yet, from the mass of worms covering Broly, a voice came.
“Slurp~”
Then came the unmistakable sound of eating.
Broly grabbed the worms crawling over him and began devouring them enthusiastically.
They weren’t bitter or unpleasant at all—far tastier than Vampa spider larvae.
Crunchy shell, chicken-like meat, and eight times the protein of beef…
As he swallowed one worm after another, such thoughts surfaced in his mind.
He grabbed another.
Slurp—he sucked its tail into his mouth.
Crunch—the juicy flesh burst in his mouth.
He casually tossed aside the worm’s head, creating a small pile of severed heads nearby.
Even without bodies, the heads continued to snap their jaws.
At this point, both Sakura and Zouken were completely stunned.
Crest worms… could be eaten?
No matter what they thought, the reality was right before them.
Saiyans had a broad diet—if it didn’t harm them, they could digest almost anything.
Compared to harder-to-digest foods (like aliens), crest worms were actually excellent sources of energy due to their magical properties.
“Boy, you’re not normal.
What exactly are you?”
Zouken demanded.
He had already realized that the worms couldn’t even pierce the boy’s skin.
“I—I’m Broly.
A Saiyan.”
Since the man had provided him with so much delicious food, Broly answered politely.
“A Saiyan?
What’s that?”
Zouken searched his vast knowledge but found nothing.
“…No matter.
Whoever you are, if you dare eat my worms, be prepared to pay the price!”
“Huh?
Weren’t these given to me?”
Broly asked, surprised, after bursting another worm in his mouth.
“Given to you?
Impossible!
Every one of these worms is a precious crest worm I carefully cultivated!
Each one costs over five million—!”
The Matou family had been struggling financially, and this worm pit represented a significant investment.
Looking at the pile of worm heads… restoring this would cost a fortune.
“Oh… so they weren’t for me.”
Broly looked disappointed—but didn’t stop eating.
“They crawled into my mouth on their own.
Not my fault.”
He chewed and swallowed, clearly trying to sneak in a few more bites.
“Ugh…”
Nearby, Sakura finally couldn’t hold it in and gagged.
“…Are you mocking me?”
Zouken’s expression darkened.
He summoned flying crest insects.
“Kill him!”
The wasp-like creatures buzzed toward Broly.
More food!
Broly’s eyes lit up.
He grabbed one and bit into it—
“Boom!”
It exploded in his mouth.
“Fool.
Those are self-destruct insects.”
Zouken smirked.
“So they’re not edible…”
Broly sounded disappointed.
“What?!
You’re unharmed?!”
As the smoke cleared, Broly stood there—completely uninjured.
“Don’t you know?
Explosions never hurt anyone if there’s smoke.”
Broly replied casually.
Then, recalling something:
“Wait… because of the explosion, my wife’s happiness value is decreasing…”
He turned and saw Sakura trembling behind him.
Without hesitation, he grabbed another insect and shoved it into Zouken’s mouth.
“Boom!”
This time, Zouken’s head was blown clean off.
His headless body collapsed onto the ground.
Without his control, the worms retreated into the corners, sensing Broly as a predator.
Broly floated down beside Sakura.
“I killed your grandfather.
Now his food belongs to you.
I’m still hungry—can you give me more?”
“Huh…?”
Sakura looked at the headless corpse… and instead of fear, she felt relief.
“You still want to eat those worms?”
“Is that a problem?”
“…Those aren’t food.”
Broly fell silent.
He felt deeply deceived.
The Crystal Palace had clearly said that his wife would give him food.
But in the end, this “wife” hadn’t given him anything at all—not even as generous as her grandfather, whom he had just blown up.
“Can I take you to eat something real?”
But Sakura’s next words quickly eased Broly’s frustration.
“What do you mean by ‘something real’?”
Broly was genuinely curious.
In his short life, insects had always been the most common food.
“Things like cake, pudding… stuff like that.”
Young Sakura Matou thought for a moment, recalling the most delicious things she had ever eaten, and explained them to him.
“Cake?
Pudding?”
Broly felt those words were somehow familiar, yet he couldn’t quite remember what they actually were.
Still, his anticipation grew.
“Where are they?”
“In the refrigerator.
Uncle Kariya bought them for me a few days ago.”
Sakura replied.
With the death of Zouken Matou, much of the gloom in her heart had faded.
Even her hoarse voice regained a bit of life.
“What’s a fridge?”
“A fridge is… well, come upstairs with me and you’ll see.”
She took his hand and led him upstairs.
She never wanted to stay in that basement again.
Soon, they reached the kitchen.
“This is a fridge.”
She opened it.
Cold air rushed out—startling Broly, who jumped back instinctively, eyeing it warily before looking at her in confusion.