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Beerus listened quietly to the Grand Kaioshin, his deep, luminous eyes narrowing as fragmented memories slowly surfaced.
The Grand Kaioshin's words finally unearthed a long-buried memory from his past.
Millions of years ago, Beerus distinctly recalled being invited to participate in the Grand Hide-and-Seek Tournament, which was personally hosted by Zen'ō, the King of All.
It was during this highly anticipated competition that Beerus had somehow, deeply and completely, fallen asleep without ever realizing it.
No one could find him. Even when the game concluded, he was nowhere to be seen.
Zen'ō flew into a thunderous rage; his fury was so overwhelming that even the surrounding Gods of Destruction trembled.
Fortunately, the other Destroyers stepped in and took the blame. They exhausted every possible excuse and explanation, barely managing to appease Zen'ō's wrath.
From that moment on, the other Gods of Destruction harbored deep resentment toward Beerus. Their opinion of him soured entirely.
Beerus effectively became the public enemy of the Destroyers.
Among the deities participating in the game of hide-and-seek, aside from the Gods of Destruction, were the Kaioshin.
At that time, the Grand Kaioshin was young and an active participant. However, the passing of ages had changed the Grand Kaioshin dramatically.
His current plump figure and large, rounded ears bore little resemblance to his youthful appearance.
It's no wonder Beerus didn't recognize him at first.
Finally, Beerus crossed his arms and muttered, his irritation evident: "Oh? So it was you."
"I remember now. I heard from Whis that you were supposed to have been absorbed by Majin Buu. How are you still standing here?"
The Grand Kaioshin maintained his polite smile. "It seems Lord Beerus still remembers me. I was absorbed, yes, but it would be more accurate to say that I purified the evil within Buu's body."
"I separated the pure, rampaging evil essence from the original Buu. However, I lacked the means to destroy that evil part."
"So Buu and I forcefully expelled it from his body. We assumed that, once expelled, it would simply wither away.
"But I underestimated its ability to survive. It actually went on to devour Buu himself."
The Grand Kaioshin was referring to the origin of the thin, purely evil form of Buu.
But Beerus no longer cared about this history. The moment he realized the Grand Kaioshin was not tied to his life, all his earlier panic vanished.
"You've been rambling for quite a while now. Let's get to the point. Even if your attack had succeeded, I still wouldn't die, would I?"
Beerus spoke dismissively, acting as though the situation were still completely under his control. The next moment, however, his expression shifted drastically.
The Grand Kaioshin's irritating, almost pitying grin vanished instantly.
Right now, the Grand Kaioshin felt an overwhelming pressure crash down upon him like a collapsing star.
Long ago, when he sealed away the sorcerer Moro, he exhausted a massive portion of his divine power. He was now far weaker than his former self, his immense power greatly diminished.
...
The Kaioshin Realm
Everything happening on Earth was vividly displayed in the Elder Kai's crystal ball.
Shin, the East Kaioshin, watched nervously, trembling as he observed the confrontation unfolding.
Usually talkative, the Supreme Kai Shin was now heavy-hearted and silent.
His revered predecessor was about to be eliminated right before his eyes, yet he could do nothing but watch helplessly.
It was all because the opponent was a God of Destruction.
Kibito panicked and desperately turned to the Elder Kaioshin. "Elder! You must have some way to stop this, right? Please!"
But the Elder Kaioshin remained unnervingly calm, steady as an ancient stone, his expression completely unshaken. He spoke to Shin and Kibito in a low voice. "Do not panic. Rest assured, Lord Beerus will not kill him."
Shin's eyes widened. "Why, Elder?! Why are you so certain?"
The Elder Kai explained, "A god cannot kill another god unless the offender has committed a grave, unforgivable offense."
"As for this Grand Kaioshin you speak of, he hasn't committed any real wrongdoing. He simply acted out of a personal desire; he doesn't want Earth destroyed. He's merely buying time for Son Goku and Vegeta."
Hearing this, both Shin and Kibito let out deeply relieved breaths.
"At worst, Lord Beerus will only seal him away," The Elder Kaioshin added almost as an afterthought.
"What?! Seal him?!" Shin and Kibito cried out in renewed shock.
The Elder Kaioshin sighed, a bead of sweat tracing his temple. "Yes, sealing. I was sealed away by Lord Beerus myself a long, long time ago."
Shin and Kibito nearly popped their eyeballs out. "No! We must try to stop Beerus! The Grand Kaioshin must not be sealed away!"
Just then, the crystal ball flickered, capturing another, more immediate disturbance.
Gohan, standing near the Grand Kaioshin, suddenly erupted like a supernova, unleashing a terrifying, sky-shaking power.
In his incandescent beast form, he let out deafening roars, tearing his throat as he shouted:
"Dad! Uncle Vegeta! You must hurry! AAAHHH!"
His roar cracked like thunder, shaking the heavens above.
Gohan clenched his teeth so hard that they seemed poised to shatter. Veins bulged on his forehead, face, and neck, threatening to burst from the strain.
In that moment, he unleashed every last drop of his dormant power, channeling it into pure, desperate physical might without reservation.
He placed both hands against the edge of the massive star of destructive energy and felt an overwhelming, crushing pressure force his body to hunch beneath its weight.
His face turned a sickly pale gray. A single second felt like an eternity.
But he could not surrender. He had to endure; even ten seconds would be enough.
Finally, after struggling desperately and futilely for so long, Goku and Vegeta felt the suffocating pressure restraining them ease slightly.
A window of opportunity!
They seized the fleeting chance, forcing their stone-like hands to move bit by bit.
Then, the two quickly adjusted their stances, taking the familiar, precise positions for their technique.
Thanks to their previous successful fusion, Goku and Vegeta were already intimately familiar with the complex process this time.
With a perfectly synchronized, goofy dance, they shouted together:
"Fuuuuu-sion! HAA!"
A strange, blinding light burst from the sky and spread with unstoppable speed.
In an instant, the swirling, deep-purple storm clouds were entirely swallowed by the dazzling radiance.
At the center of that curtain of light, a silhouette gradually solidified.
A man wearing a black and orange vest and radiating an overwhelming, unparalleled aura.
The one hailed as "the Strongest Across Dimensions" had finally returned.
(End of this chapter)