"One billion?"
Merus muttered to himself.
"That's more or less what I estimated as well."
While the two of them were talking, Slug's translucent body completely merged into Piccolo.
The white light surrounding Piccolo suddenly intensified, becoming as dazzling as a newborn sun.
Two conflicting emotions appeared in his eyes.
One was vicious and malevolent.
The other was steadfast and peaceful.
The two wills clashed relentlessly, fighting for dominance within the same body.
After a while, Merus spoke.
"He's about to succeed."
Gran smiled.
"Slug has already been beaten into such a miserable state. If Piccolo still can't seize control after all that, then he'll truly disappoint me."
The moment Gran finished speaking—
The calm and resolute consciousness within Piccolo's eyes emerged victorious.
At that instant, the flaw within his body was finally and completely repaired.
Boom!
Boom!
With his foundation restored, Piccolo felt the muscles throughout his body swell.
An endless torrent of power surged through him.
"Th-This power...!"
Piccolo was overwhelmed with excitement.
Clenching both fists, he released the energy raging inside him.
BOOM!!
Like the explosion of a planet, his power erupted outward.
His battle power had reached 1.2 billion!
"As expected."
The result was almost exactly what Gran and Merus had predicted.
Piccolo's aura continued to rise.
The starship beneath his feet could no longer withstand the pressure and was blown apart completely.
With the ship destroyed, Piccolo fell into outer space.
Without oxygen, his face instantly turned blue.
He was just about to use Instant Transmission to leave the area—
Suddenly!
A silver radiance enveloped him.
Merus had stepped in.
Only then was Piccolo able to breathe normally again.
"You learned Instant Transmission too?"
Seeing Piccolo place two fingers against his forehead moments earlier, Gran remembered how Piccolo and the others had accidentally ended up on Yardrat after the Namek Saga.
If nothing unexpected had happened, Piccolo had probably arrived here using Instant Transmission.
"Yes."
Piccolo nodded.
"At the moment, only Son Goku and I have mastered the technique."
"I see."
Gran immediately understood.
That meant Gohan and Krillin had failed to learn it.
He wasn't surprised.
Instant Transmission required a certain level of talent to master.
In Gran's opinion, Gohan could probably learn it as well.
He was simply still too young.
As for Krillin...
Perhaps his aptitude just wasn't sufficient.
"Thank you, Lord Gran! Thank you, Mr. Angel!"
Piccolo was still overflowing with excitement as he bowed to both of them again.
Sometimes, he felt he was incredibly fortunate.
Before Vegeta and the others invaded Earth, he had met Gran.
On Namek, after being revived, he received the Grand Elder's potential unlock.
On the journey back to Earth, he accidentally arrived on Yardrat.
And now, after finally finding Slug, he had encountered Gran once again.
Almost every major leap in his strength had come with the help of a benefactor.
Piccolo was beginning to wonder whether he had saved the entire universe in a previous life.
"How does it feel after the assimilation?"
Gran asked.
"Incredible!"
Piccolo stared at his own hands and struggled to contain his excitement.
"After assimilating Slug, the flaw in my body has truly been repaired."
"The power I currently possess is only the immediate boost from the assimilation."
"I can feel it—there's an even greater power hidden within me!"
Gran and Merus exchanged a glance before nodding.
After all, the fusion of two Super Namekians had unlocked far more potential than what Piccolo was currently displaying.
He simply needed time and training to fully awaken it.
If one day you also assimilate Kami...
Gran kept the thought to himself.
In the original story, Kami and Piccolo reunited during the Android Saga.
The question was whether Kami would make the same choice when the upcoming Android crisis arrived.
If history followed the same path, Piccolo would become even stronger than he was now.
"Alright."
Gran waved his hand.
"Now that you've assimilated Slug, you should head back to Earth."
"Yes!"
Piccolo knew that, compared to these two divine beings, his current power was insignificant.
After offering another respectful bow to both of them, he departed with excitement filling his heart.
As Piccolo left, silence returned to the starry sky.
Neither Gran nor Merus spoke.
They simply stood there, quietly admiring the cosmic scenery for a while.
"Gran, I've noticed that you care quite a bit about the mortals on Earth."
Merus suddenly spoke.
"Isn't that normal?"
Gran shrugged.
"Those guys all have pretty impressive talent. In the future, they'll definitely be the ones carrying Universe Seven forward."
"You're not wrong."
Merus nodded.
"Their future is indeed worth looking forward to."
"Exactly."
Seeing that Merus still wanted to continue the conversation, Gran waved his hand.
"This isn't the place for a proper discussion. Let's find somewhere better first."
Gran had always found angelic travel methods too slow.
He placed a hand on Merus' shoulder.
The next moment, both of them vanished from the starry sky.
Galactic Prison Planet
A ripple distorted the air atop one of the prison buildings.
Gran and Merus reappeared there.
"Your mastery of spatial power is pretty impressive."
Merus sighed in admiration after landing.
This time, Gran had not used Instant Transmission.
He had traveled purely through spatial manipulation.
"You Angels can use spatial power too."
Gran looked at him curiously.
"Then why don't you normally travel using it?"
He had actually asked Whis this question before.
Back then, Whis had only answered that Angels knew techniques like Instant Transmission but weren't allowed to use them freely.
"That is naturally because of a rule established by Grand Zeno."
"I knew it!"
Gran finally learned the truth.
It was surprising.
Yet somehow, it also felt completely reasonable.
After all, besides that little airheaded Grand Zeno, who else would come up with a rule like that?
"Wait!"
A thought suddenly flashed through Gran's mind.
Merus tilted his head.
"What is it?"
"Let me ask you something."
Gran's expression became serious.
"If my dimensional level eventually reaches the Angel Realm as well, will I be bound by the same neutrality laws and restrictions that Angels have?"
After everything Merus had just explained about authority and dimensions, Gran couldn't help but worry.
"No."
Merus rolled his eyes.
Gran frowned.
"Why not?"
"Because you're a wild Angel."
Merus replied calmly.
"You were never granted the official position of an Angel, so those restrictions don't apply to you."
He continued:
"It's the same as your current situation."
"Your dimension has already reached the peak level of a deity, but your position is still only that of a Candidate God of Destruction."
"As long as you never become a true God of Destruction, you won't be subject to the restrictions imposed on Gods of Destruction."
Hearing the explanation, Gran finally relaxed.
In other words, as long as he remained a Candidate God of Destruction, he could avoid those limitations entirely.
"Anyway..."
Merus finally voiced the question that had been bothering him all this time.
"What exactly did you come looking for me for in the first place?"
END OF CHAPTER
Disciple of Beerus - MrBehringer's Secret
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