"Or we could let Auntie No. 18 come," Son Gohan added. "Auntie No. 18 is an Android; her energy won't be depleted, so she has a great advantage in a battle of attrition."
"There's also No. 17 and No. 16; both of them are stronger than No. 18," Piccolo added.
"No! That fellow Frieza must be brought here!" Beerus suddenly spoke, his tone firm. "For such an important competition, if he dares not to come, I'll personally destroy his planet! Although your strength is already great, what I want to build is the strongest team in the entire universe; we can't be without him."
Hearing Beerus's words, Son Goku and the others obediently shut their mouths.
"Whis, contact Frieza and repeat my words to him," Beerus directly ordered Whis.
"Certainly, Lord Beerus," Whis nodded. He picked up his scepter, established contact with Frieza, and repeated Beerus's threatening words to him.
Frieza: "..."
"Lord Beerus, it's not that I'm not going. I hadn't finished speaking before that fellow Son Goku ran off!" Frieza said hurriedly.
"Supreme Kai, go and pick up Frieza!" Beerus patted the Supreme Kai on the shoulder.
"Alright..." The Supreme Kai nodded and vanished using Instant Transmission.
In just the blink of an eye, the Supreme Kai brought Frieza back.
"Frieza, you came after all," Son Goku laughed.
Frieza rolled his eyes at Son Goku.
You have the nerve to say that?
I was just complaining to you!
And you actually reported me to Lord Beerus!
You're just as annoying as in the previous life!
"Now our team counts as the strongest lineup in the entire universe, doesn't it?" Trunks grinned.
"Stop talking nonsense; you're probably the weakest one in this team!" Vegeta glared at Trunks irritably.
Trunks: "..."
Dad, can we please not just tell the truth like that?
"The weakest Saiyan is you, isn't it?" Vegeta snorted.
"It's not me, Dad," Trunks turned his head to look at Raditz.
Raditz: "..."
Raditz's face darkened.
Why are you looking at me?
Looking at the contestants appearing for the competition, Beerus nodded with satisfaction and revealed a radiant smile.
Just ask if this team is strong or not!
If this team joins forces, unless the Gods of Destruction from all eleven universes act at the same time...
Otherwise, they can definitely sweep the field.
"Not bad, not bad. If nothing unexpected happens, our Universe 7 is bound to win!" Beerus grinned.
...
Time passed minute by minute.
The time for the Tournament of Power to convene drew closer and closer.
"Everyone, it's almost time for the teleportation. Please hold hands and form a circle," Whis said with a smile to the contestants present.
"Hold hands?" Vegeta's expression froze.
Frieza even had two veins pop on his forehead, unwilling to hold hands.
"Hey! What are you stalling for! Get over here! Frieza!" The veins at Beerus's temples throbbed as rage surged in his crimson pupils. His roar made the surrounding air vibrate slightly. "Otherwise, I'll completely destroy your soul, so you won't even have a chance at reincarnation!"
Frieza's entire body stiffened. The corners of his mouth, which had been slightly upturned, instantly slumped as he hurriedly stepped forward.
Frieza tightly gripped Son Goku's wrist with one hand and cautiously placed the other on Beerus's arm. A chill from his tailbone surged up his spine.
How can someone be this terrifying?
Can't Lord Beerus speak properly?
This look of wanting to swallow someone whole has nearly scared away all my dignity as the Emperor of the Universe!
"Listen clearly, everyone!" Beerus flicked his tail, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. His words were full of unquestionable authority. "This is a multiversal melee; cooperation is more important than anything! During the competition, no one is allowed to start internal strife! You must be united like a single rope and try to conserve your stamina as much as possible! Don't be careless just because Goku is strong! Do you all understand?"
"Understood! Guaranteed no problem!" Son Goku immediately nodded readily, his dark eyes already reflecting the anticipation for battle.
"Got it," Vegeta replied with a cold face, his arms crossed over his chest, though he unconsciously clenched his fists.
Son Gohan, Trunks, and the others also nodded one after another, their expressions becoming serious.
"By the way, can the Fusion Technique be used in the competition?" Broly suddenly spoke, a hint of expectation in his deep voice.
Beerus paused and turned his head to look at Whis beside him, his brow slightly furrowed. "What do you think about this?"
Whis lightly tapped the crystal at the top of his scepter. As a pale golden light flowed, his gentle voice sounded. "The Grand Minister hasn't forbidden the use of fusion; theoretically, it is allowed."
"Then if I fuse with Broly, probably no one on the scene will be able to beat us, right?" Son Goku rubbed his hands and chuckled, his eyes full of eagerness to try.
"Don't get ahead of yourself!" Beerus suddenly bared his fangs and stepped forward to poke Goku's forehead. "If the fight is too easy and makes Lord Zeno feel the competition is boring, not just you, but the entire Universe 7 will be erased! Don't think you have privileges just because you're on good terms with Zeno! If you truly provoke that one, no one can save you!"
"I know, I know. I'll hold back," Son Goku rubbed his forehead and nodded with a smile.
Son Goku was still receptive to advice; he didn't want to put everyone in danger because of his own willfulness.
"Mr. Whis," Son Gohan stepped forward half a pace, his tone respectful. "Is there currently a clear explanation regarding the summoning method for the Gods of Destruction to take the field?"
"Oh my, regarding that question," Whis lightly shook his scepter, his smile remaining gentle. "The Grand Minister hasn't given specific instructions yet. However, once we reach the competition site, there should be a detailed explanation. We just need to wait patiently."
Hearing this, everyone stopped asking questions and began to tidy their respective battle suits, their eyes full of anticipation for the upcoming great battle.
"Lord Grand Minister, Universe 7 is ready and can be teleported at any time," Whis raised his scepter, and the crystal ball at the top lit up with a soft light, establishing contact with the distance.
"Very well. Teleporting immediately," the Grand Minister's steady voice came from the crystal ball, carrying unquestionable authority.
"Everyone must do your best!" Bulma held the sleeping Bulla in her arms, her other hand waving forcefully, her eyes slightly red.
Although she knew Goku and the others were powerful, she still couldn't help but worry.
"Bardock, stay safe," Gine also held her child as she walked to Bardock's side and lightly patted his arm.
"Gohan, I'll wait for you to come back," Videl stood beside Son Gohan and gave a sweet smile, her eyes full of trust. "I believe you will surely win."
"Don't worry! We'll definitely win and come back!" Son Goku waved his hand forcefully, his dark eyes flashing with the light of confidence.
"By the way, Bulma, remember to prepare plenty of delicious food. Once we win the competition, we must have a good celebration!" Beerus ordered.
"No problem! I guarantee you'll eat until you're stuffed!" Bulma immediately nodded, a smile appearing on her face.
"Ms. Chi-Chi," Whis looked at Chi-Chi with a gentle smile. "Please also prepare some of your specialty dishes."
"Alright, I will," Chi-Chi nodded slightly, her gaze falling on Son Goku.
"Vegeta," Bulma walked to Vegeta's side and gently took his hand. "Trunks, Bulla, and I are all waiting for you to come back."
Vegeta's body stiffened, then he lightly patted the back of Bulma's hand, his voice low but firm. "Don't worry, I won't lose."
"Then, let's depart," Whis looked up at the azure sky, the crystal ball at the top of his scepter growing even more brilliant.
Swish!
In the next second, a dazzling starlight descended from the sky, instantly enveloping Son Goku, Vegeta, Beerus, and the others.
As the light flashed, the figures of the group vanished without a trace, as if swallowed by the starlight.
When Son Goku and the others regained their senses, they were already standing on an incredibly vast stage.
This was the main arena for the Tournament of Power.
The entire stage was in the shape of a giant spinning top, built entirely from Kachi Katchin, the hardest metal in the universe. Its surface glinted with a cold luster.
Diagonally above the spinning top, a giant floodlight with a diameter of several dozen meters was suspended.
Warm white light rotated around the stage, dispelling the surrounding darkness and lighting up the entire stage as if it were daytime.
In the semi-circular area of the spinning top, a long row of silver-white seats was neatly arranged; those were prepared for the Angels, Supreme Kais, and Gods of Destruction of each universe.
Directly across from the seats, an inverted triangle-shaped floating platform stood quietly, surrounded by a faint golden light.
That was the place where Zeno would watch the battle.
At this time, contestants from other universes were also arriving one after another, with rays of light flashing on the stage.
Soon, many figures had gathered on the stage.
"Is this the arena for the Tournament of Power? It really is big enough!" Son Goku couldn't help but look around, his dark eyes full of awe, his fists unconsciously clenching.
With so many strong people gathered here, just thinking about it made one's blood boil.
"If you fall from here, you'll be counted as out, right?" Son Gohan walked to the edge of the stage and leaned over to look down.
Below was a bottomless darkness that seemed capable of swallowing all light.
Son Gohan couldn't help but let out a sharp gasp of breath and hurriedly retreated half a step.
"Hmph. We can all fly. As long as our consciousness is still clear, how could we possibly fall?" Vegeta walked to Son Gohan's side and let out a contemptuous snort, his tone full of confidence.
"Uncle Vegeta is right; I was just too worried," Son Gohan nodded, suppressing the unease in his heart.
"I'm afraid you won't be able to fly," Whis's voice suddenly sounded, carrying a hint of a smile.
"Eh?" Son Gohan turned his head abruptly, his eyes full of surprise.
"Why?" Bardock also furrowed his brow and asked in confusion.
Flying had long been an instinct for warriors like them; if they couldn't fly, their combat would be greatly restricted.
"You might as well try it for yourselves," Whis suggested with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Son Goku was immediately eager to try.
Son Goku used a bit of force with his feet, and his body instantly took to the air.
However, before he could fly very high, an invisible force suddenly surged from all directions, pressing him down firmly.
Thud!
Before Son Goku could react, he landed heavily on the stage. The soles of his feet collided with the stage floor, producing a crisp sound.
Beerus, Vegeta, and the others couldn't help but be momentarily stunned upon seeing this.
Even Goku couldn't fly?
How was that possible?
"I really can't fly," Son Goku said with a look of surprise as he rubbed his legs.
"I'll try too," Son Gohan took a deep breath and tried to channel the Ki in his body.
However, the result was the same as Son Goku's.
Just as Son Gohan had taken to the air less than a meter, he was pressed down by the invisible force.
"It's true, we can't fly, Dad," Son Gohan nodded.
"To think that even flying is restricted!" Trunks clenched his fists, his tone full of frustration.
"An anti-gravity restriction has been set here," Whis explained patiently. "After all, the rule of the competition is to knock the opponent off the stage. If you could fly at will, the competition would lose its meaning; this is only natural."
As he spoke, a bird-man who looked like an owl suddenly flew over everyone's heads.
He spread his giant wings and circled flexibly in mid-air, showing no sign of being restricted.
"Trunks, look! That bird can fly!" Son Goten pointed at the bird-man in the air and said loudly.
"Why can he fly but we can't?" Trunks immediately looked at Whis, his eyes full of confusion.
"Because he relies on wings to fly, just like the birds on Earth," Whis explained with a smile. "Whereas your flight relies on Ki to escape gravity. These two methods are fundamentally different, so he is not restricted."
"Tch! Even I can't fly!" Beerus's face darkened as he tried to channel the Destruction Energy in his body, wanting to forcibly break through the restriction.
However, no matter how hard Beerus tried, his body seemed to be nailed to the stage, unable to take to the air at all.
"I'm the same..." The Supreme Kai also tried, and the result was the same as Beerus's. He couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead.
"The Supreme Kais and Gods of Destruction are allowed to participate in this tournament. To ensure the competition is fair, your ability to fly has also been restricted," Whis explained.
"Then can your Instant Transmission be used?" Beerus looked at the Supreme Kai, a hint of expectation in his tone.
"I'll give it a try!" The Supreme Kai immediately concentrated his mind, wanting to activate Instant Transmission.
However, in the next second, the Supreme Kai furrowed his brow.
The energy in his body seemed to be frozen; the ability for Instant Transmission simply couldn't be channeled.
"No way... even Instant Transmission is forbidden?" The Supreme Kai was momentarily speechless.
"If the Supreme Kai could use Instant Transmission," Whis explained patiently, "it's very likely they would teleport contestants who had already fallen off the stage back. This would break the rules of the competition, so Instant Transmission is also forbidden."
"But I didn't intend to participate," the Supreme Kai shook his head helplessly.
"Before the rules, everyone is treated equally," Whis smiled and didn't explain further.
The rules established by the Grand Minister had their own reasons; they only needed to obey them.
"To be able to achieve this level—truly impressive technology," Son Gohan remarked in awe.
To be able to precisely restrict the abilities of a specific group of people without affecting other creatures—this kind of ability was already beyond recognition.
Swish!
Just then, Son Goku suddenly vanished from the spot.
Before anyone could react, Son Goku had already appeared beside Frieza, patting him on the shoulder.
Frieza's face darkened.
"Eh? My Instant Transmission works!" Son Goku was both surprised and delighted, his dark eyes full of excitement.
If he could use Instant Transmission, even if he couldn't fly, he would still hold a significant advantage in battle.
Slap!
Seeing this, Beerus immediately raised his hand and swiped at Son Goku.
Son Goku's reaction was extremely fast; his body instantly shifted to the side, barely dodging the slap.
"Lord Beerus, what are you doing?" Son Goku looked at Beerus with a confused expression, not understanding why he had suddenly acted.
"Idiot!" Beerus shouted irritably. "Stop shouting about the fact that you can use Instant Transmission! If the Grand Minister finds out, he might even ban your Instant Transmission!"
"Oh, right!" Son Goku suddenly realized. He hurriedly covered his mouth and looked around warily.
Fortunately, the contestants from other universes were far away; they probably hadn't heard.
Flash!
While the group was chatting, a brilliant starlight suddenly lit up not far away.
Son Goku turned his head and saw the contestants from Universe 6 appearing one after another. Several faces among them were all too familiar to him.
"Caulifla! Say less!" Champa pointed at Magetta and shouted at Caulifla angrily. "If he loses his fighting spirit because of your words, you'll take full responsibility!"
Magetta lowered his head. His body, which originally glinted with a metallic luster, had grown much dimmer now.
His shoulders trembled slightly, clearly having suffered quite a bit of grievance.
Botamo stood beside him, constantly patting his back and whispering words of comfort.
It was obvious that on the way here, Caulifla must have said many unpleasant things, seriously wounding Magetta's fragile heart.
"I just said he's a piece of scrap metal; I didn't say anything excessive." Caulifla crossed her arms, looking innocent.
In Caulifla's view, what was wrong with just saying a few words of truth?
"Is that not excessive enough!" Champa jumped in anger. If not for the competition, he really would have wanted to teach this outspoken girl a lesson.
"Haha! It's everyone from Universe 6!" Son Goku waved with a smile and stepped toward the direction of Universe 6. "Cabba, Hit, King Sadala, long time no see. How have you all been lately?"
"Isn't this Goku?" King Sadala saw Son Goku, a friendly smile appearing on his face as he nodded to him.
"Son Goku!" Hit's gaze instantly became sharp, and an intense battle intent radiated from his body. He stared at Son Goku and said in a low voice, "Was this Tournament of Power your proposal?"
"Well... it more or less was." Son Goku scratched his head and spoke a bit awkwardly.
"This time, I won't lose to you again." Hit snorted, his tone full of confidence.
Ever since the last time he fought Son Goku, Hit had been training diligently, and his strength was already far beyond what it used to be.
"Great! Then let's have a good fight when the time comes!" Son Goku immediately became excited, his dark eyes flashing with the light of anticipation.
"King Sadala?" Vegeta also walked over, his gaze tightly fixed on King Sadala, a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
"Do you know him?" Son Goku asked curiously.
"I don't," Vegeta shook his head, his voice low. "But I've seen a portrait of Universe 7's King Sadala in the royal palace of Planet Vegeta; he looks almost exactly the same as him."
As he spoke, Vegeta's gaze grew even deeper.
The King Sadalas of the two universes looked so similar—could there be some connection between them?
"You... you are the leader of that rebel army from back then?" King Sadala's pupils shrank abruptly. His eyes were full of shock as he stared fixedly at Vegeta.
The face before him was almost exactly the same as the portrait of the rebel leader in his memory.
Vegeta: "..."
What the hell is a rebel army?
How is the history of the Saiyans in Universe 6 so different from Universe 7?
I am clearly the son of the great King Vegeta, the Prince of Saiyans!
How did I become a rebel leader here?
"King, you've misunderstood!" Cabba hurriedly took a step forward and explained urgently, "This is Mr. Vegeta, and he is also my master! I was able to successfully transform into Super Saiyan Blue all thanks to Master's guidance!"
"Oh? You're actually already able to transform into Super Saiyan Blue?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow, a trace of undetectable surprise in his tone.
Cabba's rate of progress was quite a bit faster than Vegeta had imagined.
"Well... after I returned, I've been training diligently every day, not daring to be even slightly negligent." Cabba scratched his head and spoke a bit awkwardly.
"What exactly did you mean by that 'rebel army'?" Vegeta's face instantly darkened, and a trace of coldness flashed in his dark eyes.
Vegeta didn't want to be labeled a "rebel" for no reason.
"In our Universe 6, many years ago, there was indeed a rebel army that opposed the royal family," King Sadala explained slowly, his tone becoming serious. "The leader of that rebel army was also named Vegeta, but the rebellion ultimately failed, and he was executed."
Vegeta: "..."
Hearing this, he more or less understood.
It turned out that in Universe 7, it was because his father successfully unified the Saiyans that they developed steadily.
Whereas in Universe 6, the royal family suppressed a rebellion...
So the course of history was completely different?
"Hmph. In our Universe 7, our Vegeta family is the legitimate royal family, commanding all Saiyans—the regular army!" Vegeta snorted coldly, his tone full of pride.
Even if history was different, Vegeta's royal status was unquestionable; this was his final bit of stubbornness.
"You must be Son Goku, right?"
A gentle voice suddenly sounded.
Everyone looked toward the source of the voice and saw a man wearing a black robe looking at Son Goku with a smile.
It was Renso.
"Ah... yes, I'm Goku." Son Goku nodded and looked at Renso curiously. "Who are you?"
"Goku, this is Lord Renso, whom I mentioned to you before. His strength is very formidable!" Cabba hurriedly introduced him, his tone full of admiration.
"So you're Renso!" Son Goku's eyes instantly lit up, his dark eyes flashing with the anticipation for a strong opponent.
"I'm very pleased to meet you. Let's shake hands." Renso reached out with a smile, his tone gentle, though a trace of undetectable scrutiny was hidden in his eyes.
"Ah... alright!" Son Goku didn't hesitate for a second. He immediately reached out and tightly grasped Renso's hand.
However, the moment their hands touched.
Son Goku's body suddenly stiffened.
Son Goku could clearly feel that Renso's body contained an extremely vast and steady power, as unfathomable as the deep sea.
No wonder Cabba said that Renso and King Sadala's base power was very strong—they truly lived up to their reputation!
To be continued…
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