Bardock did not waste the opening.
Blue fire roared around him, and in the next instant he was already in front of Beerus. Back at Capsule Corporation, Ken raised his staff and swept a layer of Angel power over the mountain range where they were fighting. If those two were left alone to clash at full strength, Earth might end up shaking itself apart before Broly even returned.
The barrier sealed around the battlefield just as Bardock and Beerus's fists collided.
Power burst outward from the impact, violent enough to flatten the surrounding peaks, but the shockwave struck Ken's invisible shield and vanished against it.
Beerus noticed the resistance at once. "If Earth gets destroyed, don't blame me. You're the one who pushed your power this far."
For a moment, neither of them gave ground. Bardock's fist pressed against Beerus's, blue God ki burning hard enough to light the whole sky, and Beerus held him there with a look that was no longer bored.
"Pity," Beerus said. "If this planet goes, so does the food."
Then the spreading power hit the unseen wall and disappeared.
Bardock's mouth lifted slightly. "Earth will be fine."
He broke the deadlock with an uppercut that caught Beerus under the jaw and sent him flipping backward. Before Beerus could steady himself, Bardock closed in and drove another punch into his chest.
Beerus coughed blood.
The sight startled even him.
He recovered quickly, twisted his body, and swung down hard, but Bardock had already slipped behind him. A kick slammed into Beerus's side, right over the kidney, and the God of Destruction let out a sharp yowl as his body dipped in the air.
Bardock raised both hands.
"Hakai Dama!"
A massive sphere of energy formed above him, expanding to nearly ten meters across before he hurled it down at Beerus. The attack dropped like a burning moon.
Beerus's face tightened. He snapped his body back into position and threw out a blast of destruction energy.
"Hakai!"
The two forces met, and Bardock's attack collapsed like a burst bubble.
Beerus snorted. "Nothing."
The moment he said it, he felt Bardock vanish.
Bardock appeared behind him and buried a punch into his lower back.
Beerus coughed blood again, his face paling as pain shot through his body. "Damn you!"
He whipped around with a backhand that cracked across Bardock's face, then followed with a flying kick that sent him hurtling several thousand meters away. Bardock crashed into Ken's barrier with a heavy, ringing boom that made Beerus's ears flatten against his head.
Blue light scattered off Bardock's body.
His transformation broke.
By the time he slid down the barrier, Bardock had returned to base form, his strength burned dry.
Beerus wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stared at it in his palm. His rage cooled into something sharper.
"I won't forgive that."
He appeared in front of Bardock, glanced once at the invisible wall, and assumed Whis had set it up. That explanation was good enough for him.
"Sidra never dared speak to me like this, and he was Universe 9's God of Destruction." Beerus grabbed Bardock by the hair. "You've held the title for less than forty years, and you think you can act this way in front of me?"
Two slaps cracked across Bardock's face.
Bardock had no power left to resist. Super Saiyan Blue Three had drained him completely. He did not even have enough energy to return to Super Saiyan God now.
His cheeks swelled under Beerus's blows.
"I don't know how someone like you became a God of Destruction," Beerus said, placing a hand against Bardock's chest as destruction energy gathered in his palm, "but that won't stop me from erasing you."
At Capsule Corporation, Goku's face changed. "Dad!"
He started to raise his fingers, but Vegeta appeared in front of him and blocked the way.
"Vegeta, move!" Goku snapped. "My dad's in danger!"
"Hand it over," Vegeta said.
Goku blinked. "Hand what over?"
He looked down, noticed the sunflower seeds in his hand, and poured them into Vegeta's palm.
Vegeta stared at them.
"Kakarot, you idiot!" Purple-red energy flashed in his hand, destroying the seeds instantly. "Why would I want those?"
"You said hand it over."
"I meant the Potara!"
Goku's eyes widened. "You want to fuse with me?"
"Do you think you can beat Beerus alone?" Vegeta asked coldly.
"No. But I can't just stand here and watch him destroy my dad."
"Then what are you waiting for!"
Vegeta hated saying it, but there was no time for pride.
Goku winced and pointed to the earring on one ear. "About that… you crushed the other Potara last time. I only have one left."
Vegeta's expression darkened. "You didn't get replacements?"
"It's been less than a day!"
"Useless when it matters most," Vegeta muttered, then looked back toward the projection. His eyes narrowed. "Never mind. You probably won't need to go. Buu is moving."
"Buu?" Goku brightened. "He's going to fight Beerus?"
"That's what it looks like."
Goku hesitated, then slowly nodded. "You're right. Even if I went, I wouldn't be much help."
The two of them dropped back down and turned their attention to the projection again.
Whis watched the same image with a mild sigh. "Bardock-sama still could not hold the blue form for long. A shame. It was only a brief spark."
"With more training, he should be able to stabilize it," Amarella said.
At Ken's table, Merus was far less calm. Beerus's hand was already charged with destruction energy, and Bardock had no strength left to move.
"Ken, aren't you going to save him?" Merus asked.
"No need. Beerus won't destroy Bardock. He's only scaring him."
"What if he isn't?"
"Then I'll use Time Rewind and bring him back."
Merus had no answer to that.
Out in the mountains, Beerus's destruction energy was ready to fire.
Then someone tapped his shoulder.
Beerus turned slowly.
Buu floated behind him with his arms folded. "Hey. Your opponent is me."
Beerus smiled. "I knew you'd show up behind me right now, fat fool. This Hakai was for you."
Buu's eyes widened.
"He's a God of Destruction," Beerus said, glancing at Bardock. "I was not going to erase him. You, on the other hand, are just a mortal. I don't need a reason."
"Uh…"
"Hakai!"
Beerus flung the destruction energy at Buu.
Buu opened his mouth and swallowed it.
For a heartbeat, even Beerus went still.
Then Buu's expression turned ugly. His body ballooned violently, stretched past its limit, and exploded with a thunderous blast. Pieces of pink flesh scattered in every direction.
Beerus gave a cold snort. "Idiot. Eating destruction energy? You asked for that. Pity. I wanted to beat you more first."
Down in the yard, Vegeta watched the projection with a grim look. "So if the destruction energy is strong enough, it can blow him apart."
Piccolo said nothing, but his eyes showed he was thinking the same thing. Vegeta's own destruction energy had been too weak when Buu swallowed it before. Beerus's version was a different matter entirely.
"Little God of Destruction!" Bardock shouted, his face changing.
Beerus's ears twitched. "What did you call him?"
"He's the Little God of Destruction," Bardock said through clenched teeth. "You didn't know?"
"Never heard of it."
Bardock tightened his fists. "Of course. You slept through everything. He is the Little God of Destruction, and many Gods of Destruction acknowledge him as a Super God of Destruction."
Beerus looked more amused than impressed. "Then tell me which universe he governs."
"He doesn't have one yet."
"Then he's not a God of Destruction."
Bardock could not argue that point, and Beerus did not give him time to try.
"I'll punish you properly now," Beerus said. "Don't worry. I won't kill you. I'll just make sure you remember what the strongest God of Destruction feels like."
A pull of power dragged Bardock into Beerus's reach, and Beerus slapped him twice more, hard enough to split his lip and make blood run down his chin.
"What happened to all that courage, Universe 9's God of Destruction?" Beerus asked with a cruel smile. "Where is the Super Saiyan God from my dream now?"
He was enjoying himself so much that he almost missed the movement above him.
He looked up, and his expression froze. Buu had already pulled himself back together, hanging overhead with that stupid grin on his face, as if being blown apart had been nothing more than a party trick.
Before Beerus could move, Buu dropped straight onto his head.
Then he farted.
Beerus went rigid. The impact barely mattered; the smell hit him so hard his eyes lost focus.
Buu blushed a little, lifted his rear, and knocked Beerus flying with a sudden burst of force before vanishing to Bardock's side.
"You okay?" Buu asked, already covering him in healing light.
Bardock's injuries closed quickly. His swollen face returned to normal. Even the teeth Beerus had knocked loose were restored.
"Your wounds are healed," Buu said, "but I can't restore your energy. I'm going to fight that guy seriously now."
Bardock looked at him. "Then absorb me."
Buu did not hesitate. "Okay."
His body spread out into a wide pink net and wrapped around Bardock before Bardock could prepare himself for how fast Buu would accept.
Bardock's eyebrow twitched.
He really did not hesitate at all.
The pink mass folded inward, and in a blink, Bardock disappeared into Buu's body.
Buu's appearance barely changed. He still looked like the same round Majin as before, but the pressure coming from him shot upward.
Red divine fire burst over his body, turning him into a blazing pink-and-red figure in the sky. Buu closed his eyes for a moment and felt the new strength settle in.
Level 58.
About the same as Beerus.
Maybe a little lower after the decimal.
Buu opened his eyes and grinned.
Close enough.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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