Whis had only been mentoring Gran for twelve years. While Gran's talent was undeniably monstrous, the sheer gap in experience was a massive disadvantage.
In the vast multiverse, there were geniuses who had been cultivating their power for hundreds, even thousands of years. Some ancient beings had survived for millions or even tens of millions of years. Every universe possessed such "monsters."
With the upcoming Destroyer Candidate Battle Royale carrying the threat of erasure, no universe would hold back. Realizing this, Whis flicked his staff, projecting the recording of Gran's battle with Oma.
Everyone looked up to watch. Once the recording ended, Whis shook his head. "This man had raw power, but his martial arts were pathetically shallow."
Vados nodded in agreement. "Forget someone like Gran; even the warriors from my Universe 6 could have defeated a man like that."
Beerus crossed his arms, his lip curling in disdain. "That damn rat really looked down on Universe 7, sending such trash to our doorstep."
Shin shrank back slightly. "Isn't it normal for people to look down on us? Our universe is weak."
The Old Kai immediately clocked Shin over the head. "And isn't that because of you and Lord Beerus?"
The two gods went silent.
After the deities finished critiquing Oma—a man who couldn't even control his own strength perfectly—Whis turned to Gran with a grave expression. "Gran, that man's martial arts were poor, and he certainly wasn't the strongest Universe 4 has to offer. In the tournament, you won't be facing trash like him. Be prepared."
Gran nodded. He knew this well. With the stakes so high, every universe would be training their candidates to the death. Even Jiren would likely be dragged into the fray by Belmod. But that was exactly what he wanted—the thrill of fighting true power.
"Furthermore," Whis added, his voice dropping into a serious register, "I told you before: there are four universes whose Mortal Levels exceed 7. The powerhouses within those realms are the truly terrifying ones."
The gods felt a collective shiver. Universe 7's Mortal Level was barely above 3. Those four universes were more than double that. If the average level was that high, their absolute strongest must be extraordinary. Gran's excitement only intensified.
"Iwan and those other three aren't even that strong. How did they manage it?" Champa grumbled. To him, the only Destroyers worth noting were Beerus and Quitela.
"Naturally, it's because they manage their universes better than you," Vados teased.
"Vados, can you stop picking on me for one day?" Champa barked, the fat on his cheeks wobbling with every word.
"Now, now, Lord Champa. Instead of wasting time being angry, you should think about where to find a candidate. If you end up in the bottom three, you'll be the one in trouble!" Vados giggled behind her hand.
"You—!" Champa gritted his teeth. "What are we still doing here then? Let's get back and search for warriors!" He grabbed Vados's arm, ready to bolt.
"Lord Champa, I have a suggestion!" Gran called out.
Everyone turned to look at him. "A suggestion?" Champa asked, looking back.
"I can give you a lead on where to find a candidate. Would you like to hear it?" Gran smirked. Champa was Beerus's brother, after all; he didn't mind giving the fat cat a helping hand.
"Oh? Let's hear it!" Champa was intrigued. This kid had always been mysterious; his advice might actually be worth something. Beerus and Whis leaned in as well.
"First, Lord Champa, fight me. After we're done, I'll tell you." Gran's smile faded as he cracked his knuckles. He had been waiting for a chance to settle the score for the time Champa had ambushed and tried to kidnap him years ago. He knew he couldn't win yet—Champa was Beerus's twin, and his talent was top-tier—but he needed to see the gap between himself and a true God of Destruction. Sparring with Beerus always ended in a one-sided beatdown; he needed a different perspective to see how far he'd come. Plus, after the stifling fight with Oma where he had to hold back, he needed to let loose.
The silence that followed was deafening.
"Are you asking for a death wish?" Champa's eyes flickered with the cold, indifferent light of a deity. "You think just because your spirit reached the Divine Realm, you can keep up with a real Destroyer?"
"Gran, don't be reckless! There's still a massive gap between you and Lord Champa!" the Old Kai pleaded.
"Listen to the Ancestor, Gran! Don't go looking for a beating!" Shin added frantically. He couldn't understand why anyone would volunteer for a thrashing.
Beerus and Whis, however, remained nonchalant. "Aren't you going to stop your candidate?" Champa asked, gesturing toward Gran.
"He wants a beating, so give him one," Beerus said simply, crossing his arms. He had been thrashing Gran for twelve years. Gran had finally broken through and fought a Stage 3 opponent, only for it to be a disappointment. He needed to vent.
"Fine! Don't come crying to me when he's broken!" Champa laughed and took to the sky.
Gran took a deep breath and followed. "I won't be arrogant enough to ask you to go all out. Use whatever level of power I'm at," Champa said, cracking his neck.
"Thank you, Lord Champa!"
Hovering high above the Sacred World of the Kai, both were clad in the traditional Egyptian-style attire of the gods. The sheer pressure of their combined divine presence caused the air to hum with a piercing, high-pitched screech. The winds howled and the earth below groaned.
"Incredible... this is nothing like his fight with that Universe 4 guy!" Shin swallowed hard.
"Of course it isn't! Gran and Champa are combat-type gods—they were born for this. That Universe 4 hack was a joke compared to them," the Old Kai snapped.
High above, the tension reached a breaking point. Suddenly, Whis flicked his staff, creating a protective barrier around the spectators.
In that same instant, Gran moved. As he took his first step, a brilliant silver radiance erupted from his body. His black hair shimmered and turned a stunning silver.
Divine Realm + Ultra Instinct Omen!
Against a Destroyer, he wouldn't hold anything back. His power surged outward, warping the very fabric of space.
Vroom!
In the blink of an eye, Gran appeared directly in front of Champa, his right fist wreathed in silver light. He threw a punch that felt like the birth of a galaxy! The power capable of shaking the universe exploded right in Champa's face.
Did I hit him?
BOOM!
The sheer shockwave of the impact caused the atmosphere of the Land of the Kai to erupt. A round figure was sent hurtling through the light of the explosion and out into the vacuum of space. With two Angels present, Gran no longer had to worry about damaging the universe; they could always fix it later.
Gran turned into a streak of silver light, his aura roaring like a furnace as he pursued. "Watch out, Lord Champa!"
Gran knew one punch wouldn't defeat Champa. He dove into the starry void, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks. Champa seemed to be taking the hits, making no move to defend. Gran realized the Destroyer was testing his strength.
"Hah!" Gran kicked Champa away, then warped behind him, clasping his hands together and channeling every ounce of his power into a massive hammer-fist.
CRACK!
The strike shook the star system, spider-webbing the vacuum of space itself. Thousands of stars shattered under the pressure, and planets hundreds of thousands of light-years away were knocked out of their orbits. Champa plummeted further into the void.
Gran gathered his hands at his chest, condensing countless silver threads of energy. "Fire!"
A silver energy wave roared out like a celestial dragon, screaming through the silence of space. It struck the target dead-on, and the power of the First Stage of the Divine Realm rippled through the cosmos. The stars collapsed inward, inch by inch.
Back on the ground, Shin was slack-jawed. "An... Ancestor... this is terrifying!" He had never seen Gran go all out. Compared to this, Majin Buu was less than nothing.
"The power is impressive, but the destruction is immense," the Old Kai muttered from behind Whis's barrier. "Angels like Whis can fight without damaging a single blade of grass."
"Give him a break, Gran is nowhere near Angel-level," Beerus grumbled. "Hell, even I can't fight without breaking things."
Out in space, as the light faded, a black hole formed at the site of the explosion, swallowing the surrounding light. Champa was floating right in the center of it. Gran charged in, his divine body ignoring the black hole's pull, and prepared to strike again.
"So, Stage 1 is your limit, then?"
Champa suddenly stood upright within the black hole. He reached out a purple paw and caught Gran's fist with ease. He had already gauged Gran's level from the recording, but feeling it in person was different. Only twelve years? This kid is a freak of nature, Champa thought.
"Now it's my turn. I'm using the same level of power as you, but I won't be holding back. Be careful." Champa rubbed his cheek with his free hand. Those punches actually stung a bit.
"Come at me!" Gran broke free and retreated rapidly.
In that moment, a violent purple light erupted from Champa—the exact same level of power as Gran. Champa began to walk through the void toward him.
One step. Two steps.
Champa's movements were eerie. They were steeped in a supreme martial logic. There were no openings. Every motion was flawless. To Gran, Champa looked like the very embodiment of martial arts.
"This is... terrifying!" Gran's body shook, not from fear, but from raw adrenaline.
"Here I come!"
Whoosh!
Champa appeared beside Gran in total silence. He raised his hand in a knife-hand strike aimed at Gran's back—a killing blow.
"I have Ultra Instinct, Lord Champa!" Gran instinctively twisted his body to dodge.
However, halfway through the strike, Champa's hand curled into a fist. He pivoted instantly, slamming his knuckles into Gran's chest. The Stage 1 power was used with such terrifying efficiency that 100% of the force exploded into Gran's lungs without a single spark of energy wasted.
"Gah!" Gran spat a mouthful of blood and was sent spinning.
"So what if you have Ultra Instinct? Your body's instincts are still too weak!" Champa taunted as he gave chase. He stayed glued to Gran, moving with blinding speed. "You liked hitting my face, didn't you?" He landed a heavy hook on Gran's handsome jaw.
CRACK!
The space around them, which had managed to hold together, finally shattered into a web of cracks.
"Aaaargh!"
The tables had turned in an instant. Gran, who had been dominating, was now being dismantled. Fortunately, his divine physiology allowed him to tank the hits, though he was seeing stars.
"Your power control is decent, but you lack real battle experience. Your body's reflexes can't keep up with your mind!" Champa buried a knee into Gran's stomach.
"Ugh!"
"Your martial arts are still stuck at the limit of a mortal. Until you step into the martial arts of a Combat God, you have no right to touch a true Destroyer!"
Champa's physical instincts were at the peak of Stage 4. Even though he didn't use Ultra Instinct, Gran's physical reflexes were only at the peak of Stage 2. That massive gap allowed Champa to bypass Gran's Ultra Instinct defense entirely.
Space twisted and collapsed under the weight of the one-sided beating. The stars were torn apart, leaving only an empty void in their wake.
"Lord Beerus! Lord Champa has lost it! Go save Gran!" the Old Kai screamed, watching the brutal projection.
"I told him not to go! He wouldn't listen!" Shin cried out, looking at Beerus with pleading eyes.
"What are you two whining about? The fat pig knows when to stop," Beerus said, though his own fists were clenched tight. "Besides... haven't you noticed? Gran's physical instincts are about to break through."
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