In truth, any elite Saiyan warrior is capable of creating an artificial moon.
Since most of them relied on this technique to transform into their Great Ape forms while invading other planets, Gran was easily able to manifest a "moon" between his palms.
"Go!"
Gran hurled the artificial moon upward with all his might, and the sphere reached an altitude of 100,000 meters in an instant.
He stared intently at that "full moon."
The sphere emitted a ghostly white glow—a radiance that, in Bulma's scientific terms, is known as Blutz Waves.
In the Dragon Ball GT anime, Bulma had once constructed a machine capable of emitting these same Blutz Waves. Under the influence of that machine, Vegeta first transformed into a Golden Great Ape, just like Son Goku, before eventually breaking through to the Super Saiyan 4 state.
And now!
Under the brilliance of that overhead "full moon," Gran's pupils suddenly contracted.
Quitela, who was charging toward him, had noticed Gran's actions long ago.
"You damn bastard, what are you trying to do now?"
"I don't care what you're planning, I won't let you succeed!"
"The only one dying today is you!"
Enveloped in a purple aura and wreathed in divine lightning like a violet dragon, Quitela streaked across the sky from left to right. He was closing in on Gran in a flash!
The gathered deities all held their breath, an inexplicable sense of tension washing over them. What exactly was Gran doing? Why wasn't he trying to escape?
However, in the next second...
Boom!
A terrifying tremor echoed through the void, sounding like the awakening of a primordial behemoth. The sound was so jarring that even Quitela froze in his tracks, startled.
"Lord Beerus, what was that sound?" the Old Supreme Kai asked in confusion.
"I don't know," Beerus replied, his brow furrowed deeply.
The other Gods of Destruction were equally bewildered. Where was that sound coming from?
"It's a heartbeat... It's Gran's heartbeat!"
The Angels' eyes widened in unison.
"How can this little guy's heartbeat be so loud? What is he trying to do?"
The young Angel, Cus, had an even more exaggerated reaction, her mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.
Then!
Thump!
Thump!
...
Gran's heartbeat thundered like a war drum, growing louder and more frequent by the second.
Rumble!
Accompanying the heartbeat, an incredibly fearsome divine pressure erupted from Gran's body. This wave of energy surged outward, causing the gods gathered in the void to sway unsteadily.
"What is this power?"
"Is he insane? His power is actually still rising!"
"This is the strength of a Mid-Tier Level 7... was this why he broke his seal?"
...
Gran's power continued to expand, reaching into the territories of the Fifth and Seventh Universes. Both universes were already teetering on the brink of collapse from Quitela's previous energy impacts, and Gran's new surge of power became the final straw.
Unable to withstand the pressure, the Fifth and Seventh Universes were obliterated in a massive explosion.
"No!!!"
Arak, the God of Destruction of Universe 5, let out a hysterical roar. However, as soon as his voice faded, his physical form became translucent before vanishing entirely. Simultaneously, the Angel of Universe 5, Cukatail, immediately entered a state of slumber.
"What's happening?" Shin asked, still failing to grasp the gravity of the situation.
"You idiot! Our Seventh Universe and the Fifth Universe were just blown apart by Gran's power!" the Old Supreme Kai barked, delivering a sharp blow to the back of Shin's head.
"What?"
Shin's eyes went wide as the reality of the situation finally sank in. Because Universe 5 had exploded, its Supreme Kai had died, which meant the God of Destruction, Arak, perished as well—leaving the Angel Cukatail in a forced state of inactivity.
"Gran has truly lost all sense of restraint. Luckily, I brought this old fossil and this sprout along with me," Beerus muttered, glancing at the Old Supreme Kai and Shin.
"Exactly! Thank goodness I kept my universe's Supreme Kai by my side, or I'd be dead right now too!" Champa added, glancing at Supreme Kai Fuwa and letting out a heavy sigh of relief.
The atmosphere grew somber. The other gods looked grim; they had come to enjoy a spectacle, but they hadn't expected a God of Destruction to actually die. This was becoming a major incident—would Grand Zeno forgive Gran for this?
"Cus, I feel that Gran's power is going to become even more exaggerated. I order you to seal Gran and Quitela's power within this sector of Universe 6!" Rumsshi commanded, his tone laced with worry.
"Marcarita..."
"Vados..."
"Awamo..."
The other Gods of Destruction quickly gave similar orders to their respective Angels. Since this command didn't violate the principle of neutrality, Cus nodded to her siblings. The Angels swung their staves in unison.
Normally, a single Angel would have the power to accomplish this, but now, all the Angels moved together.
Hum!
A massive barrier manifested, encasing the original coordinates of Universe 6. This shield combined the strength of nine Angels; unless a being of the Grand Priest's caliber intervened, it would be impossible to break.
Meanwhile, Quitela was naturally feeling the brunt of Gran's power surge.
"So, you're trying to power up? I won't give you the chance!"
Quitela finally snapped out of his shock. Thrusting his hands forward, he drew out every ounce of his strength. A Peak Level 7 energy sphere formed between his palms, laced with his Level 8 Rules of Destruction.
In an instant, the energy ball swelled to the size of a planet.
Rumble!
The void shook violently. Had it not been for the barrier erected by the nine Angels, the Fourth and Eighth Universes likely would have followed the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh into oblivion.
"This time, you're finished!"
Quitela shoved his hands forward with everything he had.
The concentrated power of Destruction seemed ready to tear the void back into primordial chaos. Time itself seemed to grind to a halt.
"Gran!!" the Old Supreme Kai screamed.
Beerus clenched his fists until they bled. Had Gran still not reached his ultimate form?
The planet-sized energy ball appeared just a hundred meters in front of Gran. At that exact moment, Gran's appearance underwent a drastic change.
His muscles expanded significantly, and his facial features began to take on a more bestial quality.
"ROAR!!"
A primal, monstrous howl erupted from Gran's throat. His teeth sharpened into fangs, and his eyes turned a blood-chilling crimson. Then, his physical size began to skyrocket.
10 meters!
20 meters!
100 meters!
...
1,000 meters!
A normal Saiyan in their Great Ape form usually stands at just over 100 meters, but Gran was ten times that size, reaching a staggering kilometer in height!
Just as Gran completed his transformation into the thousand-meter-tall Great Ape, Quitela's devastating energy ball struck him dead-on.
Boom!
Visible ripples of Destruction washed over Gran as endless purple light exploded. The void expanded and contracted rapidly, looking like a universe undergoing a cycle of birth and death. The scene was utterly terrifying.
"No!!!"
Beerus's eyes reddened instantly as a single tear escaped. He had always been confident in Gran; he believed Gran could transform into that "Ultimate State" and turn the tide! Gran had always succeeded before, but this time, it seemed he had failed.
"Lord Beerus... Gran is dead!" The Old Supreme Kai slumped backward, caught only by Shin's quick reflexes.
"Quitela, I'll kill you!!!" Champa roared, charging forward.
"Lord Champa, do not be reckless!" Under Grand Zeno's laws, Angels are responsible for stopping the fighting Gods of Destruction. Vados quickly used her power to restrain Champa.
However!
There were nine Angels present, but Whis and Korn were notably absent. Without his personal Angel Whis to keep him in check, Beerus was like a wild horse off its tether. He vanished from his spot instantly as a far more terrifying aura manifested in the void.
Holy, vast, and infinite... This power crashed against the barrier set by the nine Angels, causing their eyes to widen in shock!
This aura had surpassed Peak Level 7!
"A Half-step Angel level power!!"
The Angels' hearts skipped a beat. Back during the God of Destruction battle royale on the exhibition stage, they knew Beerus had reached Peak Level 7. They had often speculated that if Beerus broke through again, he would enter the realm of a Half-step Angel.
They never expected that today, Beerus would shatter his limits because of Gran!
"Quick, stop Beerus!!"
The Angels finally reacted. With Whis away, they were responsible for preventing a lethal conflict between the Gods of Destruction.
Hum!
Cus was the first to act. Silver light blossomed from her staff, and a silver halo suddenly bound Beerus just as he was about to reach Quitela. Even though Beerus was now a Half-step Angel, he was still like a child playing in the sand compared to Cus's power.
"Damn you, Beerus! You actually broke through again!" Quitela watched Beerus's ascension from a distance, gritting his teeth. "But so what? Even if your power reaches the level of an Angel, as long as you are a God of Destruction, you can never kill me!"
Quitela suddenly burst into manic laughter. "Hahaha! Beerus, I still killed your successor! Doesn't that burn?"
Quitela's voice echoed through the void. The veins on the foreheads of Shin, the Old Supreme Kai, Champa, and Fuwa all bulged in fury.
"You damn rat, you're going to regret this!" Beerus growled, though he was unable to move under Cus's restraint.
The other Gods of Destruction sighed, assuming this was the end of the story. The peerless Gran had actually fallen.
However!
Unlike the Gods of Destruction, the Angels all wore strange expressions. They were staring intently at the swirling mass of purple flames—the exact spot where Gran was supposed to have died.
Noticing the Angels' expressions, Beerus's breath hitched. Could it be...?
"Vados, why are you looking like that? Are you saying Gran isn't dead?" Champa shouted at his Angel.
"Yes... Gran is still alive." Vados's grip on her staff tightened.
As soon as she spoke...
Boom!
A pillar of golden light tore the purple flames to shreds, and a thousand-meter-tall Golden Great Ape emerged within the void.
Silence!
The void became deathly quiet as every deity present stood frozen like a wooden statue. Was this Gran? Why did he look like this?
"Hahaha! Gran, I knew you'd be fine!" Excitement, relief, and joy flooded Beerus's heart, and two more tears of heat rolled down his face.
"Great Ancestor, is this Gran's 'Ultimate State'?" Shin asked, his face flushed with excitement.
"I don't know, but at least he's alive!" The Old Supreme Kai pumped his fists in the air, screaming, "Gran! You've got to beat the life out of that damn Quitela!"
As if hearing the Old Supreme Kai's voice, the Golden Great Ape glanced toward them.
"As I thought, those 300 years weren't spent in vain. I really can transform into the Golden Great Ape!" Gran thought, retracting his gaze to look at his own massive hands.
In theory, the Great Ape transformation only multiplies a Saiyan's power by ten, but Gran felt that his current power was more terrifying than ever before. It seemed to have reached Peak Level 7! Was the Golden Great Ape form fundamentally different from the standard one?
"It must be!" Gran confirmed to himself. If it weren't for this power, he would have perished under Quitela's previous attack.
"No... Impossible!!!"
Quitela, seeing that Gran had not only survived but transformed into a golden behemoth, roared hysterically. "How are you still alive?!"
Quitela was truly on the verge of madness. His rival, Beerus, had reached the Half-step Angel level because of Gran's supposed death, yet in the end, Gran wasn't even dead. Quitela felt as though the heavens themselves were collapsing on him.
"Now it's my turn. Quitela, get ready to feel the power of my new form!"
As Gran spoke, he didn't move. The Angels frowned—wasn't this already his new form? Why was he standing still?
Only Beerus and the Supreme Kais understood the weight of Gran's words. It turned out the Golden Great Ape was still not Gran's true "Ultimate State!"
Rumble!
Before everyone's eyes, golden trails of light began to spiral around Gran's body. The light grew more intense until he was completely enveloped in a golden cocoon.
Hum!!!
The golden light erupted in a blinding flash. When it finally dissipated, a figure covered in thick crimson fur appeared before the gods.
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