Super Shenron released a long, resonant cry. Its crimson eyes flickered with otherworldly light. Tremendous divine power spread through space itself, reality bending to the dragon's will—
But the miracle didn't happen.
"I apologize." Super Shenron's voice carried across the void, tinged with something that might have been regret. "A force is blocking my power. This wish cannot be fulfilled."
The gods and angels understood the divine tongue. Shock rippled through their ranks.
Logically, there was no wish Super Shenron couldn't grant. These were the ultimate Dragon Balls—capable of crossing universes, transcending time and space itself. So why couldn't eight universes—erased mere minutes ago—be restored?
"Why?!" Raditz couldn't contain himself. "What force could possibly—"
Foreboding settled over him like a shroud.
"The Dark Side has covered the present world," Super Shenron explained with disturbing honesty. "My power can no longer exert positive influence against such overwhelming negativity. Until we meet again."
The dragon returned to the Super Dragon Balls. Seven planetary spheres reverted to their dormant state, scattering across the cosmos.
Super Shenron vanished.
The gods' faces turned ashen. Even the Grand Priest's perpetually serene expression had cracked, showing genuine concern.
"Your Majesty," he said quietly, urgency coloring his tone. "They have made their move."
"Yes." Grand Zeno's voice had changed—no longer childlike and playful. "It seems so." He leaped down from his elevated seat. "How should we respond?"
Despite his small stature and innocent appearance, something ferocious had entered Zeno's tone. The natural majesty of existence's apex controller radiated from his tiny frame.
When Zeno grew serious, his authority was absolute enough to make gods tremble.
At that moment, darkness appeared in the World of Void's sky.
Thick black mist surged like tsunami waves, permeating space. CRACK. Reality itself was shattering—the World of Void was being attacked by something from outside.
An extraordinary force spread across the dimension. Entire space-time fractured with web-like cracks, as if whatever existed beyond intended to shatter everything within.
The mortal fighters didn't understand what was happening. They'd just survived a tournament of life and death—why were they facing cosmic catastrophe immediately after?
But they could feel the presence outside. Something that existed far beyond their comprehension.
The angels moved in unison, teaching barriers against the negative energy while their scepters emitted soft light—resisting the invading black mist. Shadowy forms appeared within the thick darkness. Bestial claws. Writhing shapes that defied description. They rushed forward like corrupted waves.
"THIS IS BAD!" The Grand Priest's shout was the first time anyone had heard him lose composure.
"EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY! We cannot hold back this force—they're using the energy of the eight universes that just vanished!"
"That's IMPOSSIBLE!" Panic erupted. Voices shouted in horror. But no one doubted the Grand Priest's assessment.
The angels resisted the encroaching darkness, but even they struggled visibly. Only universe-scale energy could push them to such limits. They needed to evacuate before their defenses collapsed completely.
The Grand Priest gestured urgently toward Zeno's guards. Activating his divine power at full capacity, he transported everyone to the safety of the Omni-King's palace.
The World of Void lost its defense instantly. The entire dimensional space was engulfed in darkness, filled with black mist. External shocks and internal fractures slowly squeezed and crushed the realm until it completely collapsed—imploding into nothingness.
All survivors materialized in Zeno's palace. Under normal circumstances, mortals would never be permitted to enter such sacred space. But the situation's urgency overrode all protocol.
After the evacuation, even the Grand Priest showed lingering fear. He immediately attended to Zeno's safety, positioning himself protectively.
Everyone remained stunned. The sudden darkness had been so terrifying that even twelve angels working together couldn't fully resist it.
"Father... Lord Grand Priest." Kusu, the angel of Universe Ten, spoke with unusual anxiety. "Could they have premeditated everything? Was the Tournament of Power itself used as part of their plan?"
"Perhaps." The Grand Priest sighed heavily. "We were monitoring their movements before the tournament began, but we became... complacent during the event itself." His expression grew pained. "Originally, Lord Zeno and I planned to use the previous sealing method on universes sacrificed in the Tournament of Power. But fearing we'd repeat past mistakes, we abandoned that approach." He shook his head bitterly. "We never anticipated they would use those eight universes' energy in reverse."
"What's the current situation?" someone asked.
"Not good." Whis raised his staff. An image projected into the air—everyone could see the collapsed World of Void and the black mist that continued spreading outward.
Clearly, negative energy had entered the present world. They were challenging creation openly now.
This behavior went beyond invasion—it was provocation. Knowing that Zeno, the Grand Priest, and all twelve angels were present, they'd attacked anyway. They simply didn't consider anyone a threat.
The previous demon world invasion—Demigra and Towa's assault—had been merely an introduction. Compared to these ancient angels from corrupted ruins, those demons were nothing worth mentioning.
As everyone absorbed the explanation from the gods, they finally grasped the full cause and effect. But matters at this level far exceeded what mortals could assist with. A single angel could eliminate them all instantly—let alone six ancient corrupted angels wielding multiple universes' worth of power.
"If this continues," someone whispered, "everything will be swallowed eventually."
"Yes." Agreement rippled through the assembly. "Truly catastrophic."
Everyone discussed the crisis, but they were helpless against such overwhelming force.
"Wouldn't it be good to just knock them down?" Goku said suddenly.
One sentence drew every eye.
Beerus immediately pressed down on Goku's head. "What do you know?! This isn't a level you can even imagine! You can't just 'fight' beings like this! Stop talking nonsense!"
The Grand Priest's smile returned—slight, but genuine. "Son Goku is correct. If there's another way to stop them, it's precisely that—knock them all down." His expression grew grave. "However... entering the negative world, even I cannot guarantee I could operate at full capacity. Their strength must have increased tremendously. Dealing with them will be... extremely difficult."
"So we can only watch?" Vegeta's fists clenched with frustration.
"I'll go." Zeno raised both hands high—like an elementary student volunteering to answer a difficult question.
But no one here dared regard him as a child. In everyone's mind, Zeno was existence's strongest force.
"Absolutely not, Lord Zeno!" The Grand Priest moved to block him immediately. "Everything in this world requires your presence to maintain stability. If something happened to you, there would be no power left to resist them."
Zeno looked at the Grand Priest with those large, innocent eyes that somehow carried infinite depth. "But none of you are their match alone."
The Grand Priest had no counter-argument. Though he ranked among the top in power across the entire multiverse, this threat exceeded even his considerable abilities. He couldn't guarantee eliminating the enemy and returning unscathed.
The endless darkness seemed capable of swallowing and destroying everything—even the will to investigate it.
"Then it's decided!" Zeno made the choice unilaterally.
The Grand Priest was momentarily taken aback. In truth, if they didn't act now, the situation would only become more impossible to manage. With Zeno's personal involvement, their chances of victory would increase dramatically.
But worry gnawed at him. After struggling internally for a long moment, the Grand Priest finally issued orders:
"Since Lord Zeno wishes to take action personally, the guards will accompany him throughout. All angels will follow Zeno and myself into the dark zone." His gaze shifted. "We will confront this threat directly."
Then he looked at Raditz with unusual intensity.
"Raditz—you are hereby appointed acting authority over this world's affairs during our absence!"