Beerus sat there, dumbfounded.
He couldn't wrap his head around it—he'd only been asleep for less than a year, and somehow, a Dragon God had appeared in his universe.
And truth be told, he didn't know much about this so-called Dragon God Zalama. Only the Angel race and the Omni-King himself were privy to those secrets.
Only now did Beerus learn that long ago, there had been such a being—one bold enough to challenge the Omni-King.
Though Zalama's end didn't sound pleasant, that didn't change the fact that he had been terrifyingly powerful.
At least Beerus knew one thing for sure—he couldn't even raise a thought of rebellion against the Omni-King.
Even if the Omni-King truly decided to erase the Seventh Universe today, all Beerus could do was obey quietly.
So when he heard that Kaito was now being called a Dragon God, his gaze toward him immediately changed.
Good grief... another godly being he could never afford to offend!
And to think he had actually fought him once—this was beyond absurd!
The more Beerus thought about today's events, the more a chill crept up his spine. He turned his head toward Whis and muttered under his breath,
"Whis, with everything that's been happening, why didn't you wake me up sooner? Were you planning to let me sleep myself to death?"
Whis glanced sideways at him and replied evenly,
"Beerus-sama, you insisted on fighting Kai... Dragon God-sama, and ended up getting beaten into a deep slumber. I couldn't wake you even if I tried."
Today, Kaito's status as the Dragon God had been officially acknowledged by both the Omni-King and the Grand Priest.
That meant—by divine hierarchy—his position now stood far above that of the Angels. Whis could no longer casually call him by name.
Beerus froze, then ducked his head, muttering sullenly,
"At that time, his power wasn't that terrifying... I still had a chance..."
Whis didn't bother sparing him any dignity.
"With all due respect, Beerus-sama, if it hadn't been for Champa's help, you might still be asleep."
"Whis, you really are infuriating sometimes!"
Whis didn't take it to heart. He was actually in a fine mood, because with Kaito around, the Seventh Universe was truly safe this time.
The Omni-King had no reason to go to war with a being as powerful as a Dragon God over one mere universe—otherwise, it would be another Ragnarok among the gods.
Besides, if it came to that, Vados and Marcarita had already made it clear they stood with Kaito. The Grand Priest wouldn't want to see his own children perish in a meaningless battle either.
...
The two royal guards wiped the cold sweat from their brows. They knew well how dreadful a Dragon God was—after all, their predecessors had died in that ancient divine war.
If they had truly fought Kaito just now, the outcome would have been beyond tragic.
Fortunately, Kaito hadn't bothered with them.
Once, those two guards might have been formidable opponents in his eyes. But ever since Kaito had become a Dragon God, only the Grand Priest could spar with him—and the only true rival left was the Omni-King himself.
As for the Omni-King, he didn't particularly mind having an uncontrollable Kaito around. He had existed for countless eons and simply hated unnecessary trouble.
He could sense no ambition in Kaito whatsoever, which made him completely different from the previous Dragon God, Zalama.
So the Omni-King was perfectly content to coexist peacefully with him.
A tacit understanding formed between the two supreme deities.
...
However, something the Grand Priest had mentioned earlier piqued Kaito's interest—Zalama's physical body still partially existed.
Kaito turned toward him and asked,
"Is Zalama's body dangerous? Don't tell me he could regenerate from a single piece of flesh?"
The Grand Priest replied,
"It's uncertain. His most troublesome ability was devouring, and even his flesh retains that property. If we let it exist unchecked, it could one day allow him to revive."
Kaito raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't you think of using the Dragon Balls to locate it?"
"No. It seems to block the Dragon Balls' detection. We tried once, but it ended up wasting a wish for nothing."
Kaito tested it himself out of curiosity—and indeed, it was just as the Grand Priest had said. There was no trace of the flesh.
Still, he didn't think much of it.
After all, it was just a piece of meat. So what if it could devour? How much could it possibly consume before regaining its former power?
And once it started devouring recklessly, it would inevitably expose itself. When that happened, its destruction would be absolute.
...
After chatting briefly, the Grand Priest glanced at the two angels standing beside Kaito—Vados and Marcarita—and suddenly said,
"Vados, Marcarita, are you two thinking of changing posts?"
No one knew his daughters better than he did. He could clearly see that the two of them had no intention of returning to their own universes.
Earlier, those two wild girls had even been ready to fight the Omni-King's guards for Kaito's sake. Anyone could tell what was in their hearts.
Vados froze, while Marcarita's eyes lit up instantly. She was about to nod when Vados tugged sharply on her sleeve, stopping her.
Marcarita blinked, puzzled. Why was Vados hesitating? Her desire to stay here was at least as strong as her own!
In truth, Vados feared that the Grand Priest might be testing them. She wanted to confirm his true intent first.
The Grand Priest waited for a moment and asked,
"What's the matter? Do you two still plan to go back? If so, you'd better leave soon—you've both been away long enough."
That made Marcarita panic. She blurted out,
"No! I want to stay here! Whatever Father wishes to arrange, just say it!"
Seeing that Marcarita had already spoken up, Vados stopped hiding her own thoughts and expressed the same wish.
The Grand Priest didn't answer them directly. Instead, he turned to Kaito and said,
"Kaito, now that you've replaced Zalama as the Dragon God, a being of your level should have divine attendants of your own."
Before Kaito could respond, he continued,
"Vados and Marcarita will serve as your divine attendants—from now on, they'll be like the two guards who stand beside the Omni-King himself."
Kaito glanced toward those two guards.
They didn't dare meet his eyes—both quickly lowered their heads, silently chanting to themselves: Working... please don't notice us!
Vados and Marcarita were both stunned by their father's decision. They exchanged a glance and saw the same flicker of excitement in each other's eyes.
The Grand Priest smiled faintly.
"Why are you two silent? Do you disagree with this arrangement?"
The two angels spoke up at once, their voices overlapping—
"We agree!"
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