After Katakana dodged another full-powered attack, the face of the God of Destruction Vermut twisted in fury.
He was the God of Destruction of Universe 11, fighting at full strength, and yet he was being toyed with by a mere Mortal boy.
If word of this got out, how could he show his face among the other Gods of Destruction?
Just imagining the others laughing at him made Vermut feel like his lungs were going to explode.
"Damn it!"
"Think you're good at dodging? Let's see how you escape from this one!"
With a wicked grin, Vermut clenched his fists and assumed a stance.
Powerful destructive energy surged through his body, the sheer pressure making Su Han feel a heavy burden pressing down.
"Hm… This guy's actually forcing his body to increase its destructive power…"
Seeing Vermut's growing energy, Katakana rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
It looked like he was preparing for some sort of ultimate move.
But Katakana didn't panic at all. On the contrary, he was planning to go full Power and end the battle.
If Vermut still had more tricks up his sleeve, then Katakana was happy to watch and deal with it.
"Tch…"
Seeing Katakana's calm and even eager expression only made Vermut feel further underestimated.
"Fine then. Even with Ultra Instinct, let's see if you can dodge this!"
With that, Vermut's body erupted in purple energy.
"Master Vermut is using that move…"
"Even though it's risky, I still feel like this little guy might surprise us."
Angel Marcarita watched the battle intently, excitement on her face.
Lord Vermut's move was undeniably powerful, but somehow, she felt Katakana would manage just fine.
Maybe it was because this kid had already delivered so many surprises.
"Fwoosh!"
Vermut suddenly raised his arm, palm pointed straight at Katakana.
In an instant, a basketball-sized orb of destructive energy formed in his hand.
Just as Katakana thought an attack was coming, Vermut paused.
Then, he raised his other hand, and gathered a second orb of the same energy.
Still, he didn't attack.
Instead, he began charging both orbs further, increasing their size until each destructive bomb was a staggering 20 meters in diameter.
Even from afar, their overwhelming power was obvious.
Katakana couldn't help but feel a bit amazed.
Although he could also use destructive energy, he knew he couldn't match this level.
This was the realm of a true God of Destruction.
"Hehe!"
"Don't bother dreaming. This kind of destructive power is absolutely impossible to cancel out!"
"Unless… you can release a blast of equal strength. But can you?"
Vermut grinned, confident in his impending victory.
He was sure Katakana couldn't unleash anything close to his level.
"You're right, Vermut."
"I can't release that kind of destructive power. But even so, your energy still has to touch me first."
Despite the massive threat, Katakana remained cool.
He knew that while Vermut's attacks were powerful, they were also large and slow. Against someone using Ultra Instinct, landing a hit wouldn't be easy.
"Hmph!"
A shadow of malice flickered across Vermut's face.
But he quickly covered it with a neutral expression.
"Enough talk, let's test it and see!"
He hurled the two massive energy balls straight at Katakana.
"Fwoosh, fwoosh!"
Despite their size, they moved at lightning speed.
Katakana barely had time to react when the two energy bombs were already upon him.
And then, suddenly, they split!
Each giant energy ball burst into dozens of smaller orbs, each the size of a basketball, and all homing in on Katakana.
Katakana's eyes narrowed.
He had clearly underestimated Vermut's cunning.
At first, he thought all Gods of Destruction were upfront fighters, but Vermut was clearly sly and underhanded.
Even so,
"You still won't defeat me."
Katakana's expression turned serious.
Silver light flared around him, and his hair turned to a windless silver-white.
His pupils shone with a silver-gray glow.
He had entered Ultra Instinct.
His movements became phantom-like, each step leaving behind an afterimage.
All of Vermut's countless destructive energy bombs whizzed around him, yet not a single one made contact.
"Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh!"
Katakana weaved through them effortlessly, never even leaving a 3-meter radius from his original position.
Still, not one attack landed.
"This fight seems to be deepening his mastery of Ultra Instinct..."
"At this pace, it won't be long before he reaches perfection!"
Angel Marcarita watched in shock. She never imagined Katakana could grow so much, in battle no less.
Whether it was against Jiren before, or Vermut now, Katakana seemed to get stronger as he fought.
It was almost unbelievable.
Sure, anyone could grow stronger during battle, but this? This rate of improvement was on another level.
"But Vermut's move isn't finished yet. The scariest part is coming next."
Marcarita smiled, a glint of expectation in her eyes.
"I told you, Vermut. Even if you master destruction, it means nothing if you can't touch me."
Katakana's voice was calm and measured.
He could clearly feel that his grasp on Ultra Instinct had improved again.
Though he still had no concept of the "perfect" form, it was obvious he was getting closer.
"…Hmph."
"Kid, I have to admit, you're the most talented and strongest Mortal I've ever seen. But that's the end of the line."
"You still don't know what tricks a God of Destruction is capable of!"
Vermut grinned smugly.
Then, he pointed a finger behind Katakana.
"Why don't you take a good look at your situation?"
Katakana turned, and saw it.
The destructive energy orbs Vermut had thrown?
They hadn't disappeared. They hadn't even hit the barrier.
They hovered in mid-air, and were multiplying.
Under Vermut's control, they split again and again, surrounding Katakana from all angles.
What was once a dozen bombs had become hundreds, maybe thousands.
"Wow..."
Katakana was now fully surrounded.
And the number of destructive energy orbs had multiplied more than tenfold.
"Impressive move, God of Destruction. I'll give you that."
Katakana clapped lightly, clearly unfazed.
"…You're not scared?"
Vermut looked at him, startled.
Katakana understood how dire the situation looked, yet showed no fear.
It made Vermut uneasy.
"How are you so sure I won't break through your wall of destruction?"
Katakana asked, tilting his head.
"Hah! Even the mighty Beerus would struggle to get out of this unscathed!"
Vermut wasn't exaggerating.
This technique had no blind spots, and even among the Gods of Destruction, very few could deal with it easily.
"Can't even stop Beerus, huh?" Katakana smirked.
"Now that makes me curious."
"So stop talking and show me what you've got, Vermut!"
A sly smile appeared on Katakana's face.
If the opponent played dirty, there was no need for him to stick to the rules either.