"Goku, you guys must be careful!" Krillin said with a worried expression.
"Don't worry, Krillin. We've got this!" Goku replied with confidence.
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
Rayden placed the map of Universe 12's information into his storage ring. He noticed that Trunks and Goten had quietly followed him, but he didn't stop them. Instead, he activated Instant Transmission without hesitation.
---
Zeno's Palace
After hearing the Grand Priest's report, Zeno lost his usual playful demeanor. He clenched his tiny fists tightly, deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Whis had already sent out notifications to all the universes. The summons from the Grand Priest reached every God of Destruction and Supreme Kai, and preparations began across the multiverse.
"Lord Beerus, please follow me," Whis said as he led the way toward the interior of Zeno's Palace to report the matter in person.
Beerus, Old Supreme Kai, Supreme Kai Shin, and Kibito quickly followed behind.
Upon entering, Zeno immediately returned to his playful self, bouncing on his throne with a cheerful expression.
"Lord Zeno!" Whis greeted politely.
Beerus bowed deeply—his body bent at a full 90-degree angle—while the Supreme Kais knelt reverently.
"Mm!" Zeno nodded in response. "Everyone, get up!"
The Kais immediately rose to their feet, standing respectfully off to the side.
"I've notified all the universes, Grand Priest," Whis reported.
"Good," the Grand Priest said with a nod. Then he raised his staff and began contacting all twelve Angels. After confirming that each universe was ready, he activated Instant Summon.
In the blink of an eye, figures from all the universes appeared in Zeno's palace.
Dozens of people materialized simultaneously, causing a brief commotion as confused chatter filled the air. Everyone looked around, trying to grasp the situation.
Seeing the stern expressions on both Zeno and the Grand Priest, Beerus seized the opportunity to make a strong impression.
"This is Zeno's palace! Do you have no respect? Stop shouting!" Beerus bellowed.
His voice cut through the noise like a blade. The crowd immediately quieted and bowed toward Zeno and the Grand Priest.
"Mm!" Zeno nodded again.
"Everyone, rise," said the Grand Priest. "But don't let this happen again."
Cold sweat formed on many foreheads as they hurriedly replied in unison, "Yes!"
The Angels could only shake their heads in silence, watching their respective Gods of Destruction scold the newcomers with a mix of amusement and helplessness.
One Angel stepped forward and asked respectfully, "Grand Priest, may we ask what this meeting is about?"
Just as the Grand Priest opened his mouth to respond—
CRACK!
A sudden space-time rift tore open inside Zeno's palace. The Supreme Kai of Time, Chronoa, emerged with several Time Patrol members who weren't on active missions.
"Chronoa! You haven't visited me in so long!" Zeno exclaimed excitedly. He jumped down from his throne and ran over to grab Chronoa's hand.
Chronoa smiled and patted Zeno's oval-shaped head affectionately.
"Lord Zeno, did you call me here for something?" she asked.
"The Grand Priest will explain," Zeno said brightly, pulling her toward the throne. "Come! Let's play marbles!"
While the two began their game, the Grand Priest addressed the gathering.
"That is the Supreme Kai of Time, and those accompanying her are Time Patrol members she has personally selected."
"The Supreme Kai of Time has such a close relationship with Lord Zeno…" some gods murmured in awe.
Then Beerus suddenly noticed two very familiar faces and exclaimed, "Goku? Vegeta? You two joined the Time Patrol already?!"
GT Goku looked around in confusion. "Are you talking to us?"
GT Vegeta stepped forward. "Ignore him, Kakarot. That cat's clearly insane—we don't even know him."
"You two… how dare you pretend not to know me!" Beerus growled, furious and ready to attack.
But Whis calmly pulled him back. "Lord Beerus, those aren't the Son Goku and Vegeta from our universe. The Time Patrol recruits individuals from different timelines and alternate universes. It's not uncommon to encounter similar faces."
"Hahahaha!" Quitela burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
"Beerus, you're the God of Destruction for Universe 7, yet you can't even recognize people from your own universe?"
The other Gods of Destruction joined in the mockery.
"Beerus, are you still asleep?"
"His brain must've gotten slammed by a door on the way here!"
Beerus clenched his fists, visibly seething, but Whis gave him a pointed look.
"Let it go, Lord Beerus. The Grand Priest is still watching."
Beerus exhaled heavily. "You damn rat… I'll let you off this time."
With that, he stepped back and stood quietly. The others followed suit, calming down.
The Grand Priest turned toward the Old Supreme Kai. "Did Rayden and his group mention when they would arrive?"
The room fell silent. Gods of Destruction and Angels exchanged confused glances.
"Rayden?"
"Who is he?"
"Why are we all waiting for him?"
At the mention of Rayden, the expressions of Sidra and Rumsshi darkened. They both turned to Champa in anger.
"Champa, that Rayden is from your universe, isn't he?"
"Yeah, Fat Cat, did you send him to cause trouble in ours?" Rumsshi added.
Champa raised his hands, confused. "Wait, wait! Rayden isn't from Universe 6! Why are you blaming me?"
"He claimed you paid him handsomely to do something!" Sidra barked. "Have you figured out how you're going to compensate us for the damages?"
Vados frowned and turned to her fellow Angels. "Kusu, Mojito, what happened?"
Kusu and Mojito exchanged glances, sighed, and explained.
"Lord Rumsshi was beaten up by that human named Rayden," Kusu said flatly.
"And Lord Sidra was also attacked by Rayden's group," Mojito added.
Whis tried to suppress his laughter, but a chuckle escaped. "Rayden's crew really is a handful…"
"Don't try to pin this on me," Champa said, throwing up his hands. "Rayden is from Beerus's universe. He beat me up too!"
There was a stunned silence.
Three Gods of Destruction, all defeated by the same group?
How could a mortal from Beerus's universe have this kind of strength?
Sidra and Rumsshi both pointed at Beerus.
"So they are from your universe!"
Beerus didn't flinch. "I didn't order them to do anything. If you want revenge, go find them yourselves. I won't stop you."
---
As tensions flared again—
Swish!
A ripple in the air signaled the arrival of another group..
Rayden appeared with his team: Ryuichi, Ryuji, Broly, Cell, Paragus, Son Goku, Son Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, Trunks, and Goten.
The entire Zeno Palace fell silent at their sudden appearance.
Twelve universes' worth of gods and warriors all turned their eyes to the newcomers.
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn (Gk31)