High above the void, Gran's blood—which had only just begun to cool—surged with a renewed heat. He plunged downward like a hunting eagle, his velocity conjuring piercing winds and jagged bolts of lightning. In a flash, he was inches from Quitela's face.
Their fists collided.
BOOM!
A flash of heat erupted at the point of impact, the temperature soaring so high that the surrounding void began to warp and shimmer.
Their legs lashed out in a simultaneous kick.
BOOM!
The sheer magnitude of the force sent the vacuum into total disorder. For thirty seconds, time itself seemed to stagnate, freezing the cosmos in a localized stasis. Even within that frozen half-minute, the battle didn't cease.
Gran was operating at full stamina, while Quitela, driven by a desperate ego, had forced his power back to the early levels of the 7th stage of the Divine Realm. They were perfectly matched, trading blows that could unmake worlds.
BOOM!
After another exchange of high-level martial arts, Quitela seemed to push past the agony of his Ultra Ego state. His movements grew predatory and savage. Gran began to lose ground, forced into a defensive crouch with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Hahaha! What happened to all that arrogance from a moment ago?" Quitela mocked. His fists were shrouded in a thick, violet divine aura as he slammed another blow into Gran's guard.
"Gah!!"
The force of a 7th-stage strike was absolute. Searing agony radiated from Gran's forearms, vibrating through his nervous system. The impact sent him hurtling backward across light-years of empty space, but Quitela was faster. He closed the gap instantly.
"I believe this is how you handled me earlier!" Quitela appeared behind Gran, hands clasped together. He brought a massive double-fist hammer down onto Gran's spine.
"Pfft!"
A spray of blood erupted from Gran's mouth. The strike was infused with the martial will of a Destroyer; the sheer weight of it caused Gran's internal organs to rupture instantly.
"GRAN!!"
Witnessing the brutal assault, Champa's eyes flared with a murderous fire. He began to lunged forward, unable to stay on the sidelines any longer.
"Stay right where you are, you fat lard!" a voice boomed from the distance.
Champa and Fuwa froze, turning their heads toward the direction of Universe 7. A figure was streaking toward them, carrying the Old Kai and Shin like a pair of scrawny fledglings.
"Skinny! You finally decided to show up?" Champa's anger turned into frantic excitement. He flew up to Beerus, shouting, "Your disciple is about to be beaten to death! What kind of master are you? If you don't want the job, step aside and let me train him!"
Beerus gave him a flat look. "..."
Is this fat cat really trying to poach my student in the middle of a crisis?
"Tell me exactly what's going on," Beerus said, glancing at the battlefield. He saw that Quitela hadn't reached his final breaking point yet and let out a small breath of relief.
He knew Gran still had Senzu Beans; as long as he could eat, internal injuries were just a temporary setback. Beerus dropped the two Supreme Kais next to Vados. With an Angel protecting those two "anchors," he didn't have to worry about them getting caught in the crossfire.
"Gran came here to collect the Super Dragon Balls, but for some reason, Quitela showed up in our universe too..." Champa began to explain.
Beerus rubbed his chin, piecing it together. "It's obvious. Quitela was likely planning to steal the Super Dragon Balls from our two universes to heal his injuries. He saw how dangerous Gran was during the Candidate Battle Royale. He wanted to fix himself and kill the kid before Gran could truly surpass him."
"That sewer rat is asking for a death sentence!" Champa's entire body shook with rage. "So what do we do now?"
Beerus crossed his arms, watching the flashes of light in the distance. "Don't panic yet. As long as Quitela isn't backed into a corner, he won't attempt a suicidal final stand. Besides, you saw it yourself—Gran's physical instinct has hit a bottleneck. This life-or-death struggle is exactly what he needs to break his limits."
"If Gran can reach the 4th stage of physical instinct to match his Angelic mindset, he'll be able to handle whatever Quitela throws at him, even a final counterattack."
As Beerus spoke, both he and Champa looked up. Ten more streaks of light were descending toward them.
"My siblings have arrived," Vados noted calmly.
The streaks landed one by one, revealing the other Angels and Destroyers.
"Sister," Kusu, the small Angel of Universe 10, greeted Vados with a smile. Beerus and the Supreme Kais nodded to her in respect.
"No need for formalities," Kusu chirped.
Iwan, the Destroyer of Universe 1, watched the cosmic fireworks. "I thought Universe 6 was exploding because Beerus and Champa were fighting again. I didn't expect to see Gran taking on Quitela."
Sidra of Universe 9 looked on in shock. "The rumors were true... Gran really can hold his own against a true Destroyer. It's no wonder our candidates didn't stand a chance."
"A mere candidate dares to raise a hand against a God?" Giin of Universe 12 sneered. Ever since Gran had eliminated his candidate in the tournament, he had held a bitter grudge.
"Giin, you're being an idiot," Belmod of Universe 11 interjected. "You see Quitela? He's forced to use Ultra Ego just to keep Gran at bay. If you were the one in that ring, you probably wouldn't last a hundred rounds."
"What did you say?!" Giin's temper flared. "Just because Gran didn't break your candidate doesn't mean you get to be his spokesman!"
Belmod didn't back down. "Call it what you want. I'm just stating facts."
The other Destroyers fell silent as they studied the fight. Slowly, the realization hit them.
"What... what is that feeling?"
"Why does Gran's Ultra Instinct feel so strange? It's familiar, yet..."
"I've got it! That's an Angel-level mindset! Good grief, this kid has actually touched the realm of the Angels!"
A wave of shock rippled through the gathered deities. During the tournament six months ago, they knew Gran's martial arts were odd, but they couldn't quite place it. Now, watching the playback through Vados's staff, the truth was undeniable.
Even Giin went silent, his breath hitching. Real Angelic Ultra Instinct?!
"Damn it," Giin muttered under his breath. "His talent is terrifying, but he's still losing to Quitela. He's as good as dead."
Beerus and Champa didn't bother arguing. They just stared at Giin with cold, calculating eyes. Note to self: Let Gran deal with this sea monster later.
Back in the fray, Gran was oblivious to the audience. He was struggling. Now that Quitela's power had returned to the 7th stage, Gran's defenses were failing.
CRACK!
A beam of Destruction streaked toward Gran's head. Using Ultra Instinct, he twisted his body in mid-air, dodging the lethal strike by a hair. But the moment he stabilized, a heavy punch slammed into his solar plexus.
"GAH!!"
The force sent him spinning like a broken toy. Gran hurtled through the void for a massive distance before managing to steady himself. He was a mess—his internal organs were shredded, and he was coughing up thick globs of blood. This was the most damage he had ever taken in his life.
Gran reached for his belt and pulled out a handful of Senzu Beans, stuffing them all into his mouth at once. He swallowed them one by one, letting the magical energy knit his body back together instantly.
"He's terrifying..." Gran whispered, staring at the mouse Destroyer. "But you're nothing but a stepping stone for me!"
"How are you standing again?! Why won't you stay down?" Quitela demanded, his own breathing ragged. The strain of the fight was clearly taking its toll on his wounded body. "I remember now... in the tournament, you used those beans to heal Hit. You're using them again, aren't you?!"
Gran laughed through the blood. "What if I am? I have plenty of these. You can't kill me, Quitela. You're finished!"
"Bastard!" Quitela barked, his fists trembling.
He couldn't let this go on. The combined pain of Zen-Oh's punishment and the strain of Ultra Ego was eating away at his soul. If the fight lasted much longer, his body would give out before Gran's did.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a massive, crushing pressure erupted from Quitela. His power surged, breaking past the early levels and reaching the middle stages of the 7th Divine Realm. The shockwave was so vast it began to affect the neighboring 5th and 7th Universes.
"Impossible!" Gran's eyes widened. "You can still go higher?"
In the Divine Realm, the gap between the early and middle stages of the 7th level was a chasm. In terms of raw output, a middle-stage fighter could likely crush ten early-stage versions of themselves.
"Hahaha! I told you! As long as I'm not literally on my deathbed, no one can push me around!" Quitela's violet aura became so dense it was almost opaque. The stronger his will to win, the more power Ultra Ego provided.
However, the cost was clear. Quitela's face was contorted in agony; forcing this much power through his damaged frame was tearing him apart from the inside.
"A mere candidate trying to challenge me? Go to hell!"
Quitela vanished, his speed seemingly ignoring the laws of time. He appeared instantly behind Gran. The speed was so great that even Gran's Angelic mind barely registered it. His body, however, couldn't keep up. His physical instinct—stuck at the 3rd-stage peak—was too slow to turn.
"HAKAI!!"
Quitela unleashed an 8th-stage Rule of Destruction at point-blank range. He was certain this was the end. No matter how many beans the kid had, he couldn't heal if he was erased from existence.
"GRAN!!" Old Kai's voice cracked.
"Quitela, I'll kill you!" Champa roared, preparing to intervene.
But Beerus held him back. The other Destroyers looked at Beerus in shock—his student was about to be erased, and he was just standing there?
That was when Kusu spoke softly. "He's doing it. He's breaking through."
At the edge of the void, time seemed to slow for Gran. The shadow of death loomed over him, a sensation that mirrored the moment he had first broken into the 3rd stage of instinct during his training with Beerus and Champa. Back then, if he hadn't evolved, he would have died.
Now, in the face of total erasure, his body finally sparked.
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