"No, not really. I was just asking as a routine greeting. If the Time King happens to be here, meeting him—or her—would be nice too."
Ever since becoming a Time Patrol officer, Gran had never actually met the mysterious Time King.
"..."
Chronoa was utterly speechless.
"Then your luck is really terrible. The Time King isn't in Crossroads City right now."
"That's a shame."
"So what exactly did you come here for?"
Chronoa looked at Gran cautiously.
For some reason, she always felt that this guy was up to something.
"What did I come here for?"
Gran gently swung on the swing and thought for a moment.
"Can I use a Time Ring to travel back to the past?"
"You can, but why would you want to go back to the past?"
Chronoa immediately jumped off the swing.
Her expression turned serious.
"You aren't planning to alter history, are you?"
In terms of time travel, moving from the present into the future was how Supreme Kais observed the development of mortal civilizations. This method did not create parallel timelines.
However, traveling from the future back into the past was different.
It was like Future Trunks bringing heart medicine back to the past.
That method created parallel timelines.
And manipulating time in that way was considered a grave crime.
"I don't intend to change anything."
Gran shook his head.
"I just want to investigate something."
"What?"
"The origin of the demonic creatures."
Gran stood up as well.
With his hands behind his back, his eyes became as sharp as an eagle's.
Both his training and his investigation into the demonic creatures had always been part of his original plans.
Now that his mastery of the Law of Destruction had improved and his Space-Time Power had also progressed, it was finally time to look deeper into the mystery of those creatures.
Chronoa's pupils contracted violently.
"You want to investigate the demonic creatures?!"
"What? Judging from your reaction, do you know where they come from?"
Gran turned to look at her.
After all, she was the Supreme Kai of Time, the overseer of countless timelines.
The affairs of every timeline were under her jurisdiction.
There was no way she knew nothing about them.
"I know a little."
"Then can you tell me about them?"
Gran's breathing immediately tightened.
Even during his life-and-death battle against Quitela, he hadn't felt this nervous.
The main reason was that those creatures were unbelievably mysterious.
Even Whis was wary of them.
He had even mentioned having an ominous premonition regarding their existence.
"..."
Chronoa didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she fell into deep thought.
Gran frowned slightly.
The little girl was remaining silent.
Could it be that he still wasn't qualified to learn the truth?
Yet his strength had already reached the Angel level.
By Dragon Ball standards, that should place him among the absolute top-tier beings.
Were the origins of those creatures really that terrifying?
Gran didn't rush her.
He quietly waited for her response.
"Gran."
Chronoa suddenly called his name.
He immediately replied.
"What is it?"
"Do you know why Lord Zeno established that punishment in the first place?"
With her hands behind her back, Chronoa began strolling through the garden.
"The punishment?"
Gran quickly realized what she meant.
She was referring to the punishment imposed after the Candidate God of Destruction War.
The defeated universes had been ordered to raise their Mortal Level Index by one full point within ten thousand years.
"I don't know."
"Then I'll tell you."
Chronoa suddenly stopped walking.
Her tone became more serious than ever before.
"Lord Zeno is accelerating the progress of the universes."
Gran stopped as well.
His fists unconsciously tightened.
"What do you mean by accelerating the progress of the universes?"
Chronoa looked up at the cherry blossoms blooming overhead.
"The progress of a universe is essentially reflected in its Mortal Level Index. The higher the Mortal Level Index, the stronger that universe's overall development and civilization become."
She paused briefly.
"Only when the entire Omni-King Universe grows stronger can it withstand unknown crises in the future."
After hearing her explanation, Gran finally understood what she meant by the progress of the universes.
However, another phrase caught his attention.
Unknown crises.
What exactly did she mean by that?
Suddenly, Gran's expression changed dramatically.
"That's right."
Chronoa nodded.
"The unknown crises I'm referring to may very well be related to the demonic creatures."
"May?"
Now Gran was even more confused.
"Yes, may."
Chronoa resumed walking through the garden.
"Because even I, the Supreme Kai of Time, don't know how those creatures came into existence."
As she walked, she continued speaking.
"Although I don't know their origins, I already have a feeling that more and more of them will begin appearing in our world in the near future."
"When that day comes, we'll only be able to rely on ourselves."
"That's why Lord Zeno has begun taking measures to accelerate the development of the universes."
After hearing everything, Gran remained silent for a long time.
So that was the truth.
Lord Zeno's punishment had never been about punishment at all.
It was preparation for the future of the Omni-King Universe.
"No wonder..."
Gran recalled his previous conversations with Whis.
"No wonder Whis said he felt an ominous premonition."
It was precisely because of that warning that he had decided to investigate the demonic creatures in the first place.
"Supreme Kai of Time, is this demonic creature crisis really that dangerous?"
Gran asked.
"How would I know?"
Chronoa shot him an annoyed look.
"Didn't I just say it's an unknown crisis? I honestly have no idea how dangerous it will become."
"However..."
She paused.
"Based on the demonic creatures we've seen so far, they're actually quite weak."
"Forget Gods of Destruction—even some of the strongest mortals within the universes can kill them."
Gran knew that much already.
After all, he had personally encountered demonic creatures twice.
And both of those creatures had indeed been relatively weak.
"What truly worries us isn't the creatures themselves."
"It's what's behind them."
"Behind them?"
Gran's eyes widened.
"That's right."
Chronoa frowned.
"Their appearances are simply too strange. I refuse to believe there isn't something hidden behind them."
Hearing that, Gran's expression grew increasingly solemn.
Concern and caution filled his face.
"Supreme Kai of Time, haven't Lord Zeno and the Time King investigated this matter?"
Gran asked again.
"As for Lord Zeno, I don't know."
Chronoa replied.
"But the Time King definitely investigated it."
She continued:
"However, after the Time King returned, he didn't explain anything..."
She paused briefly before correcting herself.
"No, that's not entirely true."
"The Time King did say one thing."
"He—or she—said: 'So that's how it is.'"
So that's how it is?
What exactly did that mean?
Although Gran remained puzzled, the tension in his brows finally eased.
Clearly, the highest-ranking beings in the Dragon Ball world already knew the truth behind the crisis.
And judging from what Chronoa had just said, as well as the recent actions of the Omni-King Universe, the situation might not be as catastrophic as he had feared.
"Oh right, Supreme Kai of Time."
Much of Gran's worry had faded.
A trace of curiosity appeared in his eyes.
"Even Whis doesn't know these things. How do you know so much?"
From a purely power-based perspective, Whis was undoubtedly stronger than Chronoa.
Yet Whis seemed unaware of these details.
That made the situation rather strange.
"That's because I'm the Supreme Kai of Time. In the Realm of Time, aside from the Time King, I'm the highest authority!"
Chronoa pointed her thumb proudly at herself.
A pair of shallow dimples appeared on her face as she smiled.
"Compare that to Whis. In the Omni-King Universe, could he really be considered the number-one person beneath Lord Zeno?"
"..."
Gran's mouth twitched.
So the reason Whis didn't know these things was simply because his rank wasn't high enough within the hierarchy of the Omni-King Universe.
"Gran, actually, besides me, the Grand Priest and the Great Elder of the Dragon Realm should also know about these matters. They just haven't openly talked about them."
"I see."
Gran wasn't surprised.
Figures of that level would naturally have access to such secrets.
The two continued walking together.
After passing through the garden, they finally stepped outside.
The Realm of Time wasn't particularly large, and its architecture carried a distinctly Western European aesthetic.
The weather today was pleasant, and Gran found himself rather enjoying this peaceful atmosphere.
"Alright, I've told you everything I know."
Chronoa brought Gran to the Time Vault and turned toward him.
"Do you still intend to investigate the demonic creatures?"
"Of course."
Gran answered without the slightest hesitation.
From their earlier conversation, he had already learned that the looming crisis involving the demonic creatures might not be as terrifying as he had imagined.
Even so, he still wanted to uncover more of the truth.
"So, Supreme Kai of Time, can I travel into the past?"
"You mean you want to go back to the era when the demonic creatures first appeared and investigate them directly?"
Chronoa frowned once more.
"Exactly."
"Let me think..."
Pinching her chin, she fell into deep thought.
Gran had no idea what the little girl was worried about, so he quietly stood beside her and waited.
"You can."
Chronoa finally lifted her chin and grinned.
"But you have to take me with you."
"?"
Gran blinked in surprise.
"Why are you coming too?"
Chronoa rolled her eyes.
"You aren't the only one curious about the origins of those creatures."
What else could he say?
Gran could only nod in agreement.
"Fine."
Then he added:
"But let's make one thing clear. If we run into some unpredictable danger, I might not be able to protect you."
"You should focus on protecting yourself."
Chronoa folded her arms proudly.
"When it comes to running away, even Whis might not be able to catch me."
"Really?"
Gran clearly didn't believe her.
Without warning, he flicked a finger.
A beam of energy shot toward Chronoa.
The attack was incredibly fast.
Even a powerhouse at the Fifth Tier of the God Realm might not have been able to react in time.
However...
Chronoa's body flickered.
In an instant, she vanished from her original position.
Boom!!
The energy blast struck a distant building, blowing it to pieces.
"Trying to ambush me? You're kind of awful, you know that?"
Chronoa glared at Gran.
Then, with a casual wave of her hand, the destroyed building instantly returned to its original state.
"You've got some impressive tricks."
Gran was genuinely surprised.
Having cultivated Space-Time Power himself, he could tell what had happened.
If he wasn't mistaken, Chronoa had momentarily escaped into another layer of space-time, allowing her to evade the attack.
"Let's try that again."
Gran instantly transformed into Super Saiyan 4.
At the same time, he activated Ultra Instinct.
His power surged explosively, reaching the First Stage of the Angel Realm.
The surrounding space-time immediately began to distort under the pressure of his aura.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!"
Chronoa's eyes widened.
"What exactly are you trying to do?!"
Seeing that Gran still intended to test her, she quickly waved her hand.
A vast amount of Space-Time Law Power erupted from her body.
The chaotic distortions in the surrounding space-time were rapidly smoothed out.
The next moment, she disappeared once again.
"Ran away again?"
Gran remained where he stood, deep in thought.
"Gran, are you done testing me yet?!"
Chronoa reappeared in front of him, looking thoroughly annoyed.
"I understand your weakness now."
Gran returned to his normal form and smiled.
"I figured it out."
"The power of the Angel Realm can disrupt space-time itself. Under normal circumstances, the pressure from my power should trap you here completely."
"But you're the Supreme Kai of Time."
"You can use Space-Time Laws to repair the surrounding distortions."
"Once the space-time environment returns to normal, you can freely escape."
"Am I right?"
Although Gran hadn't yet cultivated his Space-Time Power to the level of Laws, his understanding of space-time had advanced tremendously.
"You... you figured that out already?"
Chronoa pointed at him in shock.
"Nonsense."
Gran laughed.
"Your method of escape is obvious enough. If I couldn't figure it out, I'd really be an idiot."
At present, he still couldn't determine exactly how far Chronoa had advanced in her mastery of Space-Time Laws.
However, the fact that she could escape the suppression of Angel-level power was already extraordinary.
"An idiot?"
Chronoa snorted.
"You weren't that smart to begin with."
By now, the two knew each other well enough that she felt comfortable teasing him openly.
Gran: "..."
"Alright."
Gran waved dismissively.
"I've got a rough understanding of your abilities."
"You really can escape from me."
"However, when you said you could escape from someone like Whis, you must've been talking about catching him off guard, right?"
Gran wasn't bothered by her teasing.
"Nonsense."
Chronoa looked at him as though he were a fool.
"That's Whis we're talking about."
"If he seriously focused on catching me, how could I possibly get away?"
This time, Gran couldn't resist.
He reached out and lightly knocked her on the head.
"Don't get too full of yourself."
"Being the Supreme Kai of Time doesn't mean I won't beat you up."
"Hehe... the weather sure is nice today."
After being warned, Chronoa immediately turned her gaze toward the sky.
She whistled innocently while pretending nothing had happened.
The tiny Supreme Kai of Time looked rather silly.
Gran couldn't help but laugh.
She really was kind of adorable.
Silence returned.
The two stood in front of the Time Vault, staring at one another.
"Why are you still standing there?"
Gran finally asked.
Chronoa looked equally speechless.
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
"Didn't you say you wanted to travel into the past and investigate the demonic creature incident?"
She crossed her arms.
"So tell me."
"Exactly what point in time do you want to return to?"
END OF CHAPTER
Disciple of Beerus - MrBehringer's Secret
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