At this point, the most nervous ones were the three universes that still hadn't scored a single point.
Universe 9 and Universe 10 especially had practically become background scenery every time, their fighters were the first to be eliminated, and the pressure was crushing.
Of course, from here on out, every match was just as much a life-or-death battle for Universe 7.
If Champa's Universe 6 won, the other three universes would be wiped out by Zeno. Total defeat. Total erasure.
"Damn it!" Beerus raged, venting all his anger at Champa. "We should've won! If that idiot Champa hadn't interfered and forced Piccolo to be separated, we wouldn't be in such a passive spot right now!"
"Champa really has done nothing but cause trouble." Levos sighed.
Before the tournament, he hadn't expected Champa to have another move making a wish on the Dragon Balls.
That single stunt had turned Hit into an absolute monster last match, breaking through again and again like he'd installed cheats.
Levos hadn't seen it coming at all, and it put Universe 7 in a far more awkward position.
Sure, they had contingencies. Even if they lost, the Earth crew could "side-jump" and survive by switching camps.
But what about everyone off Earth?
New Namek, Planet Yardrat, the Galactic Patrol… all those people tied to them might be dragged into disaster.
Still, that wasn't even the main issue.
The real issue was this
If the tournament ended early, how was Levos supposed to keep grinding in peace?
Beerus was still making a last-ditch effort.
"Levos! If you've got any plan, use it already!"
Levos felt a headache coming on.
According to canon, the three Saiyans from Universe 6 aside from Kale weren't that strong when they first debuted. Even Kale, against anyone on their side, shouldn't have had much of a chance.
The problem was: Levos didn't know what kind of changes would happen after Champa used the Namekian Dragon Balls to "unlock potential."
That dopey-looking cat was suddenly playing chess like a veteran.
It was like a thick-browed, honest-looking guy suddenly dropping the mask and saying, Yeah, I'm a total scumbag surprise.
Levos got caught completely off guard.
He rubbed his chin, thinking hard about what other nonsense Champa might pull.
Thanks to Mecha Cell Max's terrifying processing power, Levos quickly pieced together the tiny tells on the other side and practically stripped them bare.
Case closed.
Champa, you absolute dog.
Boosting their passive buffs wasn't enough he'd even gotten someone to inject them with "Heart Power," mass-producing Super Saiyan Gods!
Then Levos remembered, expression turning blank.
…Right. He'd basically demonstrated that whole "workflow" in front of Champa before.
Well then.
So much for moral outrage.
"The third round is about to begin," the Grand Priest announced coolly, his voice carrying across the arena. "Universe 6's Cabba, Universe 7's Buu, Universe 9's Basil, and Universe 10's Obni please take the stage."
The arena repaired itself again.
Levos drew a slow breath and pressed a hand to Buu's shoulder.
"Buu. You only need to do one thing."
"Go all out."
Buu nodded. For once, his face carried real seriousness an expression he rarely showed.
Beerus tensed.
"Levos… can he really do it?"
Buu had also been separated by Vados. Beerus had no confidence left.
"We'll take it one step at a time." Levos frowned. "Buu isn't weak. We still have a real chance this round."
The fighters stepped onto the stage.
Buu looked as relaxed as ever.
No fear. No nerves.
Only anticipation.
In the stands, every gaze locked onto the platform. Everyone knew how much this match mattered.
Champa, on the other hand, was practically pinning his hopes on Cabba.
"Cabba! Win this and we can go home!"
"Tch." Beerus sneered. "Skinny arms, skinny legs. Doesn't look like battle material."
"Nyeh nyeh nyeh!" Champa stuck out his tongue at Beerus on purpose. "Beerus, I already figured out everything about your universe! If we're talking preparation, nobody's more ready than me!"
Goku leaned forward, curious.
"A Saiyan from Universe 6… how strong is he?"
"At least not weaker than Future Trunks," Levos replied.
"That strong?!" Goku blinked. "Universe 6 Saiyans have developed that far?"
"It's all Champa's doing," Levos said helplessly.
Future Trunks had been Universe 7's first Super Saiyan God. In terms of their current power scale, he was second only to Goku.
Originally, Buu and Piccolo were both a tier above Goku too until Champa's "operations" nerfed three of their biggest pillars.
All things considered, Cabba and Buu should be pretty evenly matched.
On the stage, the Universe 9 and 10 fighters didn't try any alliances like the previous rounds.
The moment the match started, the two of them retreated to the arena's corners.
"Remember," Basil said quietly, "this isn't a one-on-one duel."
"The one who survives to the end wins."
"Exactly." Obni's eyes flickered. "Like the last round if those two idiots hadn't been eliminated so early, the winner might've been Universe 9 or 10."
They had decided to scavenge scraps lurking, waiting, muddying the waters.
Cabba and Buu faced each other.
"Mr. Buu," Cabba said politely, settling into a stance, "please teach me."
Buu grinned with that simple, harmless look.
"If you don't transform, you can't beat me."
It sounded annoyingly smug, but anyone who knew Buu understood this was just how he talked.
"Then as you wish."
Cabba gathered energy.
A crimson glow erupted from him like flame, swallowing his body in red light.
His hair shifted from black to a vivid red, as if ignited.
His pupils changed too dark, with a red sheen.
His body trembled slightly, muscle lines thinning and refining.
No energy leaked. The transformation was calm and contained.
But the gods were shaken to the core.
The previous fighters, no matter how great their aura, had still been operating within mortal power.
What Cabba displayed now was unmistakable.
Divine ki.
This transformation elevated him into an entirely new realm.
No longer "human," "mortal," or even "Super Saiyan."
He was a god.
"That's it… that's a god's aura."
"How is this possible?"
"A mortal has gained a path to transform into a deity…"
Someone even shrieked toward the stands.
"Champa! What exactly did you do?!"
"I just provided a little technical support." Champa shrugged like it was nothing.
Beerus snapped too, finally connecting the dots.
"You shameless bastard! You stole that method! No wonder you were smug from the start!"
Champa chuckled.
"That's called being smart."
The commotion in the crowd added pressure to the fighters below.
Basil the third of Universe 9's Trio of Danger, the red-skinned werewolf became even more determined to play dead in the corner.
Fighting Cabba head-on?
Impossible.
Better to become invisible and pray for a miracle.
The musclebound Obni seemed to share the same plan.
He did everything he could to avoid attention, shrinking his presence to nothing.
Cabba clenched his fists, strangely calm. It was a peace he'd never felt before.
He looked up at Buu and saw Buu stretching, casually warming up.
Then Buu moved.
Fast as lightning.
Bang!
Fist met fist.
A violent shockwave exploded outward, so suffocating that Basil and Obni could barely breathe.
After that single clash, Buu darted around the arena like a kid let loose in a playground.
His movements were loose and nimble totally mismatched with his round, pudgy body.
As he ran, he kicked up spiraling tornadoes across the platform.
Basil and Obni stumbled and dodged desperately, trying not to get caught in the winds, quickly becoming exhausted like dogs.
After tangling with Buu for a while, Cabba finally caught a small opening and drove a punch straight into Buu's belly.
Boom !
Buu's balloon-like stomach caved in… then instantly snapped back, rebounding like rubber and launching Cabba away.
"A-ha-ha~ You're pretty strong." Buu looked delighted. "Fighting you is fun."
Cabba frowned.
The longer he fought, the more troublesome this opponent felt.
It wasn't just the unnatural elasticity.
Buu's weird, inexplicable techniques were beyond anything Cabba had ever imagined.
Every punch that landed felt like striking cotton… or rubber.
No matter what, it did nothing.
Buu wasn't like any opponent Cabba had ever faced there wasn't even a close comparison.
Cabba couldn't read him at all.
For example right now, Buu casually tore off a huge chunk of belly fat and flung it at him.
What even was that supposed to be?
Mid-flight, the flesh ballooned and warped into a thick rubber ring.
Cabba hesitated for a fraction of a second
And the ring snapped around him.
Pressure crushed down. His bones creaked under the tightening grip.
It took everything he had to break free.
"Lord Champa warned me Buu's abilities were strange…" Cabba's heart sank. "But this is ridiculous!"
As the battle dragged on, Cabba began to recognize the truly terrifying part.
Even when his attacks broke through, Buu's regeneration was obscene.
Any wound healed instantly repaired as if it had never existed.
If this continued, Cabba would inevitably lose by stamina alone.
"I have to change tactics."
Cabba drew in a breath and gathered energy.
Buu's recovery was insane, but if Cabba could generate a shockwave strong enough
He could blast Buu out of the ring.
"Galick Gun !"
A blinding flare erupted from his palm, releasing an endless torrent of energy.
Rumble !
The beam hit Buu's upper body dead-on.
Thud.
Buu's upper half toppled, collapsing.
Cabba panicked and immediately stopped.
"D-Did I… kill him?!"
Clinging to the arena edge with white knuckles, Basil and Obni's eyes lit up.
An opening.
Finally.
They'd endured the collateral shockwaves for this exact moment.
"You killed him, heh heh heh!" Basil crawled forward, grinning nastily. "Rules say killing means you lose. Jump off the arena yourself."
Obni wobbled as he stood.
The Universe 9 Supreme Kai, Roh, practically screamed in excitement.
"Well done, Basil! The plan worked perfectly! Now show them your invincible leg techniques and win it all!"
Cabba's face twisted with bitterness.
"How could this happen…"
Then Buu's "corpse" twitched.
Everyone jumped, necks turning stiffly to look.
Squish… squish…
Buu's body wriggled, and from the middle of his chest, a brand-new head slowly grew round and full, like it was inflating into place.
Basil froze, eyes wide, staring at the "body."
"T-This is…?!"
"AHAHAHA! AHAHA…" Buu laughed as he twisted his head into the correct position. "Fun. This is really fun."
"N-Not dead?!" Roh collapsed back into his seat.
Basil and Obni immediately flattened themselves against the cold floor again.
"You… you guys keep going. Keep going…"
Cabba snapped out of his shock and raised his guard again.
Buu slowly assumed the same stance Cabba had taken earlier.
"This is… Galick Gun?"
Cabba went blank then reacted instantly, answering Galick Gun with Galick Gun.
BOOOOM!
The two beams detonated, and the shockwave swept across the entire arena.
Basil and Obni spat blood, nearly fainting, their fingernails snapping as they clawed at the ground just to stay put.
Cabba staggered back, staring.
"You learned my technique just by seeing it once?!"
Buu planted his hands on his hips and grinned.
He looked innocent and simple.
But the talent and power he displayed left everyone shaken.
"More freak nonsense from Universe 7!" Supreme Kai Roh cursed under his breath.
Buu threw another belly-flesh attack.
This time it wasn't just one lump.
He ripped off chunk after chunk and tossed them in rapid-fire succession so fast it made people dizzy.
Cabba dodged left and right, then caught a flash of purple light in his peripheral vision.
He focused and flipped away at the last possible moment, cold sweat bursting out.
The purple beam hit the arena and ricocheted into the corner
Randomly tagging a poor victim.
Plop.
A wolf-shaped cookie fell onto the platform.
Obni's eyes bulged.
Basil who had been dodging with him a second ago was just… gone.
After seeing how absurd Buu was, Obni decided to surrender immediately.
But Buu didn't give him the chance.
A wad of pink flesh slapped onto Obni's face.
Then another purple beam struck.
At the same time, Cabba was snared by layer upon layer of rubber rings and received the same "treatment."
A moment later, Buu finished collecting three cookies and happily took a bite.
"That's not edible, Buu!" Levos pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just throw them out of bounds. I've got way better food for you."
"The winner of this round Buu of Universe 7." The Grand Priest announced without hesitation. "Universe 7 gains one point."
He snapped his fingers, restoring the other three fighters to human form and even healed the ear Basil had gotten bitten off.
Universe 7 had won the round.
Most people still hadn't processed it.
To be honest, before the match ended, everyone had tried to calculate possible ways to defeat Buu.
Every scenario ended the same: no solution. No win condition.
Compared to Hit, Buu's abilities were even more incomprehensible.
People could only marvel at how bizarre the universe's creations could be.
But some sharp-eyed spectators had already guessed Buu's true nature.
"A Majin… with a divine personality inside…"
Round three ended.
And round four
Levos would step onto the stage.
In Universe 6's stands, Champa and his people looked grim.
"That guy…" someone muttered, voice heavy.
"He might be the strongest enemy you'll face in your entire life."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going.
"Want to stay ahead of the game?Advanced chapters are up on my Patron. If you're enjoying the ride, swing by and check them out."
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"