"..."
Gran naturally understood that Merus was trying to comfort him, but somehow, the way he said it felt a little strange.
It was like the top student in a class telling the second-place student:
"You shouldn't feel bad about losing to me. Being able to rank right behind me is already impressive..."
"You Angels really need to work on your conversational skills."
Gran laughed helplessly.
Merus, however, didn't seem to realize there was anything wrong with what he had said.
He studied Gran for a moment.
"Our spar just now was purely a clash of martial arts realms. You should still have other powers you're hiding, right?"
At that point, Merus didn't continue.
Gran wasn't stubborn enough to deny it.
"Didn't you just see me take an item out of a dimensional space?"
"As expected."
Merus smiled.
"With your talent, comprehending Space-Time Power really wasn't that difficult for you."
Then he continued:
"Since you've already mastered Destruction Law and Space-Time Power, have you considered going to the Dragon Realm and learning Miracle Power as well?"
Miracle Power?
Gran's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Throughout Dragon Ball's history, nearly every major event revolved around the Dragon Balls.
The Dragon Clan had many branches.
There were Earth's Dragon Balls, Namek's Dragon Balls, and even the Super Dragon Balls.
Though their functions were fundamentally the same—granting wishes—the scale of those wishes depended on the creator's Miracle Power.
The difference between Shenron and Super Shenron was a perfect example.
One had been created by Kami.
The other by the Dragon God Zalama.
The gap between their wish-granting abilities was as vast as the heavens and the earth.
"Gran, we Angels actually wield many kinds of power."
Merus continued:
"Destruction, Time, Space, Light, Miracles... and countless forms of magic."
"That's why, in the eyes of mortals, Angels seem almost omnipotent."
He glanced at Gran.
"If you master Miracle Power as well, then once your Dimension and Mental Realm reach the Angel level, you'll be close to being an omnipotent Angel yourself."
"Even if you know fewer powers than we do, Miracle Power alone would make you seem capable of almost anything."
Merus's explanation reminded Gran of a conversation he'd once had with Whis.
Back then, Gran had asked:
"How can I become as omnipotent as an Angel?"
Whis's answer had been simple:
"First, raise your Dimension to the Angel Realm."
At the time, Gran had assumed that merely reaching the Angel Realm was enough.
But now, after hearing Merus's explanation, it seemed that wasn't the case.
It appeared that Angels still had to learn each type of power individually.
So Gran recounted his previous conversation with Whis.
"My brother wasn't wrong."
Merus nodded.
"How so?"
"If you don't possess an Angel-level Dimension, then even after learning Miracle Power, your omnipotence will still be limited."
"But once your Dimension reaches the Angel Realm... that's a different story."
Merus paused.
Gran's curiosity immediately flared.
"How is it different?"
"Because of Authority and Divine Status."
"???"
Seeing the confusion in Gran's eyes, Merus asked:
"You've already elevated your Dimension to the peak of the Divine Realm. Haven't you noticed anything different?"
"..."
Gran fell silent.
He understood what Divine Status meant.
A higher-dimensional existence naturally exerted pressure over lower-dimensional beings.
But Authority...
That concept was unfamiliar to him.
"The simplest explanation," Merus said, "is that Authority is the power that the world itself grants you."
As if sensing Gran's confusion, he elaborated:
"Take Lord Zeno, for example."
"The various laws governing the Zeno Universes were established by him."
"Do you understand now?"
Merus's explanation was somewhat vague.
Yet Gran instantly understood.
A storm erupted in his mind.
Lord Zeno naturally possessed a Dimension that belonged to the Zeno Realm.
And the Authority granted to that Realm by the universe itself was the ability to establish fundamental laws.
For example—
The Angels' Law of Neutrality.
The life-link between Supreme Kai and God of Destruction.
And countless other universal regulations.
"Merus," Gran asked immediately, "what Authority does someone at the peak Divine Dimension possess?"
Merus covered his face.
He genuinely couldn't understand how Whis had been teaching this guy.
Gran didn't even know the most basic privileges of a Divine Dimension.
"In truth, the Authorities granted at each dimensional level are fairly similar."
Merus sighed.
"One of the most common is the ability to bestow divinity upon others."
"Just like when you became a God of Destruction Candidate."
"That was an example of an Angel granting Authority."
"It not only extended your lifespan, giving you enough time to continue cultivating your Dimension, but also caused your future acts of destruction to represent the will of the universe itself."
Gran understood immediately.
Whis had explained this much before.
In other words...
He now possessed the ability to appoint others as gods as well.
Earth's Guardian.
A Judge of the Underworld.
And similar divine positions.
Of course, simply granting a title didn't make someone a true god.
They would still need to cultivate themselves to become worthy of the position.
Just as Gran himself would never have been a qualified God of Destruction Candidate if he had failed to master Destruction Power.
"Then what about the Angel Dimension?"
Gran steered the conversation back.
"An Angel Dimension..."
Merus paused briefly before shaking his head.
"Like I said earlier, the Authorities themselves aren't fundamentally different."
"The real differences lie in the amount of Authority and the disparity in Divine Status."
"But you just said things become different once I reach the Angel Realm."
"That's right."
Merus nodded seriously.
"Suppose you mastered only Miracle Power."
"Without sufficient Divine Status to support it, then even if your Miracle Power reached Lord Zalama's level, you still wouldn't be able to affect an Angel."
"That is what I mean by limited omnipotence."
Gran's heart trembled.
"Why?"
"Because that's the flaw of Miracle Power."
"It appears omnipotent, but in reality it works primarily on mortals and gods."
"When used against Angels, its miraculous effects become extremely limited."
"Or rather... that's another Authority granted to Angels by the universe itself."
Merus smiled.
"Of course, if an Angel offers no resistance and willingly accepts the miracle, then Miracle Power can still affect them."
Gran understood instantly.
Miracle Power required Divine Status to fully unleash its miracles.
It was the same reason ordinary Shenron couldn't restore something erased by Lord Zeno—
Yet Super Shenron could.
Gran slowly closed his eyes, recalling all his years with Whis.
No wonder Whis had always discouraged him from relying on Miracle Power to strengthen himself.
There had been a hidden limitation all along.
Silence returned to the starship.
After Slug's defeat, none of his subordinates dared approach again.
Standing side by side atop the massive vessel, Gran and Merus quietly gazed out into the endless sea of stars.
END OF CHAPTER
Disciple of Beerus - MrBehringer's Secret
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