The Grand Kaiōshin slowly closed his eyes, a serene finality settling over his expression, as though everything unfolding had been foreseen and accepted in his heart.
He stood before the overwhelmingly powerful Beerus... quiet, still, and utterly fearless, like a silent mountain against an impending storm.
It was in that tense quiet that a stunning detail pierced the awareness of everyone watching: Beerus had conjured a sword.
The sword was sharp, gleaming, and radiating a cold, soul-chilling light; the blade appeared in his grasp, emitting an aura that made hearts instinctively recoil.
In the distant Kaiō Realm, the two remaining Kaiōshin watched through the mystical crystal ball. When they finally registered the shape of the sword, their faces drained of color. Their jaws dropped so wide a child's fist could have fit inside.
The sword was the spitting image of the one they had revered for countless ages... The ultimate, sacred trump card of the Kaiōshin: The Kaiōshin Sword!
The truth struck them with the force of divine lightning. Their sacred, untouched treasure, passed down through millennia of gods, was, in reality, a trivial weapon created carelessly by a far greater deity. And that deity, Beerus, could summon and dismiss it at will.
They had cherished this relic for ages as if it were their very lives, the pinnacle of their power. The colossal gulf between their belief and this cruel reality hit them like a thunderclap, shattering the deepest foundations of their faith.
"E-Elder… could it be… everything you said before was true?" Kibito asked, his voice shaking as he desperately sought a denial from the Elder Kaiōshin.
The Elder Kaiōshin nodded, his expression grim. "When have I ever lied to you, Kibito?"
Shin's heart plummeted like a stone thrown into a deep well. A cold dread surged through him. His ancestor's words were true. This meant that the Grand Kaiōshin was currently facing the greatest crisis of his existence.
With his eyes locked on the crystal ball, Shin trembled as he watched the scene unfold.
Inside the projection, Beerus raised the mysterious blade he had pulled from thin air and charged toward the Grand Kaiōshin.
Yet, shockingly, the Grand Kaiōshin remained motionless, like a statue carved from stone. He didn't dodge. He didn't even blink.
Why didn't he dodge?
Because he did not fear.
And why did he not fear?
Because he had already calculated and anticipated every detail and terrifying possibility.
At that moment, a subtle, confident curve lifted the Grand Kaiōshin's lips. It was a knowing smile. Then, he calmly began to turn away and leave the scene.
But in the instant his back was turned, a mysterious, powerful figure suddenly materialized behind him.
It was none other than the overwhelmingly powerful Gogeta!
Gogeta's sudden and impossible appearance seized Beerus's full attention. The fusion warrior, wearing his distinctive vest, was an unknown entity, a new variable Beerus couldn't process.
As his thoughts scattered wildly like a broken kite drifting on the wind, Gogeta erupted.
His energy was a blinding, dazzling crimson light.
Shoooom...!!! Shoooom...!!! Shoooom...!!!
A sharp, piercing sound ripped through the air as the red light surged outward in a roaring tidal wave of power. In the blink of an eye, Gogeta's jet-black hair transformed into a vivid, flame-like crimson.
Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta had made his spectacular entrance.
But this was only the beginning.
The very next instant, an even more jaw-dropping scene unfolded. Gogeta's figure vanished completely, as if he had never been there. The next heartbeat, he reappeared in a ghostlike fashion before Gohan.
"Gohan… you've worked hard."
Gogeta's lips twitched slightly, revealing a rare and faint expression of concern.
Without another word, he extended both hands and pressed them firmly against the massive, chaotic energy sphere that Gohan had been holding... a sphere overflowing with terrifying, destructive power.
At the same moment, Gogeta took a deep breath, and his immense aura exploded outward in a single, mighty burst. A shockwave of unimaginable force swept across the battlefield, centered on the fused warrior.
Gohan, who had been struggling under unbearable, crushing pressure, instantly felt the weight on his body lighten. His utterly exhausted body finally relaxed, and relief washed over him like a warm, soothing tide.
He looked at Gogeta, his lips curling into a weak, grateful smile. Then, slowly, he closed his eyes, granting himself the rest he had earned.
Gogeta turned his head toward the Grand Kaiōshin, who stood ready behind him, and spoke softly.
"Buu... no, Grand Kaiōshin, please take good care of Gohan."
The Grand Kaiōshin narrowed his eyes slightly and gave a solemn nod in acknowledgment. Then, with gentle and careful movements, he pulled Gohan's limp, nearly collapsed body into his warm, wide arms. Gohan felt like a candle flickering in the wind, barely holding on to life.
Yet they were still far too close to the colossal energy sphere, which radiated an overwhelmingly destructive force. Even the Grand Kaiōshin was nearing his limit under that terrifying energy's majestic, crushing pressure. But thanks to the regenerative, undying body he had inherited from Majin Buu, he managed to endure, if only barely.
Without hesitation, the Grand Kaiōshin made a swift decision and used Instant Transmission once again. His figure flickered, and suddenly, he stood before Super Mini Cell.
Mini Cell's eyes widened in genuine shock, his face alight with astonishment.
"Buu?! Incredible! I never expected you to actually be the Kaiōshin!"
As he spoke, he instinctively reached out to wrap an arm around him… the casual greeting he always used for Buu. But noticing the gravely injured Gohan in the god's arms, he quickly withdrew his hand.
"Ah… sorry! Hehe, it's just so surprising. Grand Kaiōshin, please heal Gohan quickly!"
Faced with the enthusiastic Mini Cell, the Grand Kaiōshin couldn't help but feel a flicker of fluster. He was a god… no one had ever interacted with him this casually. But Mini Cell's sincere, innocent smile instantly eased his discomfort.
"…Very well."
With that, the Grand Kaiōshin began the process of healing Gohan.
At that same moment, the dark purple clouds covering the sky slowly began to tear apart. Above them, Gogeta lifted the massive energy sphere high over his head with all his might… and the very next second, he pushed off the ground with a sudden, final burst of power.
BOOM…!
The energy sphere shot upward, accelerating rapidly toward the vast emptiness of outer space.
(End of this chapter)
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