"Stop right there!!"
"Damn it, where did this monster come from?"
"All together now—attack!"
This planet was home to a handful of martial artists who bravely surged toward the creature. However, the power gap was staggering.
These fighters possessed power levels around 1,000, while the monster looming above them had reached the first stage of the Divine Realm.
The difference was absolute. Before the martial artists could even get close, the sheer pressure leaking from the beast crushed them into a bloody pulp.
It was a gruesome sight, and the city's citizens fell into a pit of total despair.
But in that darkest moment, two figures breached the atmosphere.
"Big Brother Gran, it's another one of those things," Broly remarked, hovering beside Gran. He had encountered a similar creature once before while helping Gran with his planetary duties.
"These things are mindless; we won't get any answers out of them. Better to just put it out of its misery," Gran said, shaking his head. Then, he lunged forward.
BOOM!
A world-shaking shockwave echoed across the sky, forcing every citizen to look up. They witnessed an impossible sight: a handsome, sharp-featured man appeared instantly before the beast, his palm pressed against its face, right between its glowing eyes.
"Hakai."
It sounded like a divine incantation. A violet glow erupted from Gran's hand, and under the corrosive power of Destruction, the black mist shrouding the monster evaporated.
Beneath the smoke lay a bizarre skeleton—a frame covered in jagged spikes with a skull resembling a prehistoric crocodile, save for a singular, long horn protruding from its forehead.
As the mist vanished, the bones began to disintegrate into nothingness.
"ROAARRR!!!"
The creature let out a soul-shredding shriek. To the people below, that sound was a signal of salvation. The fire of hope was instantly reignited in their hearts.
"We're saved!"
"Who is that? He's incredible!"
"Thank you, Lord Savior!!"
Their cheers reached Gran's ears, but he didn't linger on them. He scanned the area one last time. With the monster gone, the violent, malevolent aura had completely dissipated. This planet was clean.
"It's done. Let's head back," Gran said. Just as he and Broly prepared to fly back to the Cube, a squad of ten people streaked in from outer space.
Each member of the squad possessed a formidable power level—somewhere around 5 billion. Their leader was even more impressive, his energy touching the first stage of the Divine Realm.
"Wait... Lord Gran?!" the leader exclaimed, recognizing him immediately. He descended quickly and bowed deeply. "Greetings, Lord Gran!"
Gran blinked, confused. He didn't recognize the man, but he knew his race: they were Saiyans. Every member of the squad had golden hair—they were all in their Super Saiyan forms. Their leader, however, had hair trailing down to his waist and sparks of bio-electricity dancing around his body. He was in Super Saiyan 3.
"Lord Gran, you don't remember me?" the man asked. "I'm Jim. Six months ago, we sparred at Lord Champa's palace."
"Jim?" Gran racked his brain. After a moment, it clicked. "Oh! You're one of the Destroyer Candidates from Universe 6!"
Back before the Destroyer Candidate tournament, Gran had visited Universe 6 with Champa to recruit Hit. At the time, Champa had a handful of potential candidates, and Gran had sparred with all of them. Jim was one of the standouts.
However, looking at him now, Jim wasn't wearing the official Destroyer Candidate uniform. He was clad in traditional Saiyan-style battle armor.
"Aren't you a candidate? Why the wardrobe change?" Gran asked.
Jim gave a bitter smile. "After you led Hit to victory in that tournament six months ago, Lord Champa brought us back and gave us some 'dimensional training.' Once he helped us extend our lifespans a bit, he... well, he fired us all. He said our talent was too pathetic for him to keep wasting his time on."
Broly: "..."
Gran: "..."
Typical Champa, Gran thought. He uses people when he needs them and tosses them aside the moment the job is done. Though, to be fair, based on Gran's observations, most of those candidates—Hit included—really didn't have the innate talent required to reach the highest echelons of godhood.
"So, what are you doing here then?" Gran asked.
Jim scanned the horizon, his brow furrowed. "We're with the Sadala Defense Force. We picked up a signal that another one of these 'Magic Beasts' had appeared, so we rushed over. But it looks like you've already handled it."
Gran caught the word "another." "You mean this isn't the first time these things have shown up in Universe 6?"
"No. In the last six months, this is the second time we've encountered one," Jim said, his fist tightening. "They're terrifyingly strong, but luckily, they're mindless beasts. They aren't impossible to deal with if you have the numbers."
"I see..." Gran's expression darkened. Jiren's master had been killed by a "Magic Beast," and now they were popping up in both Universe 6 and 7. He remembered Whis mentioning an "ominous feeling" earlier. Was something big brewing?
"I'm here to see Lord Champa, so I'll be on my way. Keep up the good work," Gran said, giving a polite nod before flying back toward the stars with Broly.
"Safe travels, Lord Gran!" Jim shouted, bowing again. His men followed suit until Gran was completely out of sight.
One of the younger Saiyans finally spoke up. "Captain Jim, who was that guy? You were a Destroyer Candidate—you're basically a legend! Is he really so strong that you have to be that formal?"
Jim shot the recruit a look. "Normally, I'd keep my embarrassing stories to myself, but since I wasn't the only one humiliated that day, I'll tell you. That man is also a Destroyer Candidate, but he's in a league of his own."
"Back then, every single one of us in Universe 6 teamed up to fight him at once... and we couldn't even touch him. And that tournament six months ago? He's the reason Hit won. He's the strongest being I've ever seen."
His squad stood there, mouths agape.
Up in the void, Whis was waiting. He noticed Gran's somber mood. "What's the matter?"
"Whis, those Magic Beasts... this isn't an isolated incident in Universe 6." Gran relayed what Jim had told him.
The atmosphere grew heavy. Whis's face turned uncharacteristically serious. After a long silence, he shook his head. "Let's get to Lord Champa's planet. I need to see what my sister, Vados, has to say about this."
"Agreed."
The trio boarded the Cube, and along with the three Super Dragon Balls in tow, they vanished in a streak of light.
Meanwhile, at the edge of Universe 6, two other figures were lurking. One was a yellow, rat-like creature; the other was an Angel holding a staff. These were Quitela, the Destroyer of Universe 4, and his Angel, Cognac.
"That power!" Quitela hissed. He had been having Cognac ferry him around to hunt for the Super Dragon Balls in secret. When Gran unleashed his power to erase the Magic Beast, Quitela felt it instantly.
Cognac stopped moving. "Lord Quitela, it seems Gran and Whis have arrived in this universe."
"Damn it! What are they doing here?" Quitela glanced at the two Super Dragon Balls floating behind them—the fruit of six months of secret labor.
"What is your command, my Lord?"
"Hmph. Ignore them for now," Quitela said, a devious glint in his eye. "Beerus is undoubtedly in a deep sleep, and Gran leaving Universe 7 is a blessing in disguise. Once we finish scouring Universe 6, we can move into Universe 7 without anyone standing in our way."
He turned back to Cognac. "Keep moving. We need to find the rest before they realize what we're up to."
"Understood."
Gran had no idea Quitela was playing thief in his backyard. The Magic Beasts occupied his mind as they arrived at Champa's Destroyer Realm.
"Wait, where's Lord Champa?" Broly asked, looking around the empty landing zone.
"They must still be in the Tower of Dimensions," Gran replied. He remembered Champa mentioned taking Hit and the others there to train. It had only been half a year; they wouldn't be out yet. "Follow me."
The layout of this world was a mirror image of Beerus's planet, so Gran navigated it with ease. They headed toward the palace, through the long corridors, up the winding stairs, and finally reached the highest floor. There was only one room there.
Gran pushed open the massive double doors. The room was cavernous and flooded with light, with nothing but a massive, ancient pagoda-style tower standing at its center. Looking at it, Gran felt a wave of nostalgia for his own eight years of training.
"Big Brother Gran, what is this place?" Broly asked, wide-eyed.
"This is the Tower of Dimensions. It has 120 floors. If you can reach the 100th floor, you truly step into the realm of the Gods," Gran explained, patting Broly's shoulder. "Once we use the Super Dragon Balls to fix your berserk state, I'm going to have you train in here."
Broly nodded determinedly.
"For now, wait outside. In your current state, the pressure inside would probably make you lose control instantly."
The Tower was designed to test a Destroyer's will and dimension. Without a strong heart, the mental and physical agony could drive a person insane—or worse, erase their soul.
Leaving Broly at the entrance, Gran and Whis stepped inside.
"They've only been at it for six months. I imagine they're around the tenth floor," Whis predicted.
"Only one way to find out."
The two of them began to climb. One possessed the peak of a Destroyer's dimension, the other the dimension of an Angel; the tower's crushing pressure meant nothing to them. They moved like lightning.
Floors two, three, four... nothing.
Finally, they reached the tenth floor.
"AAAGGGHHH!!!"
"HNGGGHHH!!!"
Two screams of agony echoed through the chamber. Gran looked ahead and saw the Saiyan Rozu and the assassin Hit struggling against the pressure. Nearby, Champa and Vados were watching over them.
"Oh?" Vados noticed them first, blinking in surprise. "What a pleasant surprise. What brings you two here?"
"Who is it?" Champa grumbled, sounding disoriented by the tower's atmosphere. He followed Vados's gaze, and his jaw dropped. "Gran?! Whis?! What the heck are you doing here?"
Gran walked over with a grin. "I told Vados over half a year ago that I'd be paying a visit to Universe 6 soon."
Vados chuckled, realizing he hadn't been joking. "My, my. In that case... welcome to Universe 6, Lord Gran."
Gran: "..."
Whis: "..."
Champa: "..."
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