GT Vegeta's expression changed the instant Goku threw the punch.
The fist never reached him.
It did not need to.
The pressure behind it tore across the arena and slammed into GT Vegeta's chest like an invisible hammer.
"Gah!"
He shot backward, tumbling through the air before crashing headfirst into the ground. His body bounced several times, then rolled across the shattered arena until he finally came to a stop.
GT Vegeta planted one hand against the floor and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Sorry, Vegeta." Goku scratched the back of his head, looking genuinely apologetic. "I might've put a little too much into that one. You okay?"
GT Vegeta gritted his teeth and forced himself upright.
One punch.
Kakarot had sent him flying without even touching him.
How could the gap between them possibly be this wide?
No. He refused to accept it.
Ken appeared above the arena before GT Vegeta could throw himself back into the fight. With a casual sweep of his staff, divine light spread over the battlefield. Craters vanished, broken tiles rose into the air, and the entire ring restored itself in seconds.
"The final match goes to Goku of Universe 6," Ken announced. "That makes the result official. Universe 6 has won the tournament."
The Universe 6 spectators erupted.
Bulma sprang from her seat, cheering along with everyone around her. Champa was already dancing, while Beerus looked as though someone had covered his entire face in soot.
Frieza had only just regained consciousness. When he saw Goku standing in the arena with barely a mark on him, the corners of his mouth twitched.
So the Saiyan had become that powerful.
He had underestimated Goku yet again.
"Well, Beerus?" Champa swaggered over, wearing the most obnoxious grin he could manage. "Still think Universe 7 is stronger?"
Beerus's chest rose and fell as he fought the urge to tear his brother apart.
Under normal circumstances, he would already have been strangling Champa.
Unfortunately, Ken was standing nearby.
Beerus had no intention of picking another fight while an Angel far beyond Broly was watching. Humiliating as the defeat was, being beaten half to death afterward would be worse.
"Beerus," Champa said again, his smugness suddenly gone. "Hey, Beerus."
"What?" Beerus snapped. "You can have the Super Dragon Balls! I never needed them in the first place!"
"That isn't what I'm talking about, you idiot." Champa raised one trembling hand and pointed toward the viewing platform. "Look."
Vados covered a smile with one hand.
"Champa-sama, do you really think pointing at Zeno-sama is appropriate?"
Champa froze.
His eyes slowly followed his finger toward the small figure who had appeared on the platform without anyone noticing.
Then he slapped himself across the face.
Beerus's pupils shrank at the same moment.
Both Gods of Destruction rushed forward and dropped to their knees before Zeno-sama. Broly followed at once, while Buu hurried behind him and knelt with his head lowered, shaking hard enough to rattle the floor.
Why was Zeno-sama here again?
Buu had already completed the job he had been given.
He wanted nothing more to do with that terrifying little god.
Ken, Vados, and Whis remained standing, but each of the three Angels bowed respectfully.
GT Goku stared at the scene in confusion.
"Who's that?" he whispered. "Why is everyone kneeling?"
"That's Zeno-sama," Goku explained.
"Zeno-sama?" The name sounded vaguely familiar to GT Goku. "What does he do?"
"He rules over all twelve universes," Goku said. "He can erase an entire universe just by raising his hand."
Then Goku paused and tilted his head.
"Wait. Wasn't Zeno-sama the one who erased your whole timeline while testing his power?"
"What?" GT Goku yelped. "That was him?"
GT Vegeta went rigid.
Uub and GT Broly began trembling.
They had faced the Shadow Dragons and watched entire worlds fall into chaos, but none of that compared to a god capable of erasing a universe with a wave of his hand.
"Shouldn't we kneel too?" Uub whispered to GT Goku.
"Probably." GT Goku nodded. "Maybe we can ask him to restore our universe while we're here."
GT Vegeta said nothing, but he followed them without argument.
The four fighters from the GT timeline approached the platform and knelt before Zeno-sama.
Goku scratched his cheek.
"The other me is kneeling. Maybe we should go too."
"We should," Piccolo said firmly.
The rest of the fighters followed, and before long almost everyone present was kneeling across the arena grounds.
"Welcome, Zeno-sama," Champa said, sounding far less confident than usual.
"Is there something you require?" Beerus asked cautiously.
Zeno-sama looked down at the two brothers without expression.
"You held this tournament without telling me," he said. "So I came to warn you."
Champa's forehead struck the floor.
"We're terribly sorry, Zeno-sama!"
"This was all Ken's idea," Beerus blurted.
Champa slowly turned his head and stared at him.
Beerus had not merely shifted the blame. He had launched it across the arena with both hands.
Ken smiled but said nothing.
Zeno-sama continued watching them for another moment. Then his face brightened.
"But the tournament was fun."
Beerus blinked.
That was not where he had expected the conversation to go.
"I saw another tournament on Earth before," Zeno-sama continued. "That one was more dangerous. After watching both of them, I think I want to hold one with all the universes."
Beerus and Champa immediately bowed again.
"Yes, Zeno-sama!"
"A tournament with every universe?" Goku's eyes lit up. He sprang to his feet and hurried closer. "You mean it?"
Champa nearly stopped breathing.
"You fool!" he hissed. "Do not speak to Zeno-sama without permission!"
Zeno-sama looked at Goku, then nodded.
"Sure. We can hold it sometime."
"Great!" Goku thrust out his hand. "It's a promise."
Champa began shaking from head to toe.
Beerus turned pale, sweat pouring down his face.
What kind of idiot tried to shake hands with Zeno-sama?
Zeno-sama stared at Goku's hand for a moment. Then he stepped forward and placed his own hand in it.
"It's a promise," he agreed.
"Zenny!"
A tearful shout rang across the arena.
Mr. Satan came charging toward them with his arms wide open, his eyes shining as though he had just reunited with a lifelong friend.
Zeno-sama looked up at him.
"Who are you?"
Mr. Satan stopped dead.
His smile shattered.
"I-I'm Satan…"
Zeno-sama stared at him for another second.
"I don't remember you. I'm leaving now."
Mr. Satan remained rooted to the spot, his entire body turning to stone.
Ken smiled at Zeno-sama.
"Did the Left Guard and Right Guard not come with you?"
"No." Zeno-sama's answer came a little too quickly. "I'm going now."
He vanished before Ken could ask anything else.
The crushing tension over the arena disappeared with him. Gods and mortals alike released the breaths they had been holding.
Beerus wiped the cold sweat from his face.
Then he remembered what he had said.
He had blamed the tournament on Ken.
Slowly, Beerus turned toward him.
Ken was still smiling.
Beerus dropped back to his knees.
"Forgive me, Ken! I spoke without thinking!"
"You certainly didn't hesitate when you decided to blame me," Ken said pleasantly, his eyes narrowing.
Broly disappeared.
A burst of green power shook the arena as he reappeared in front of Beerus, already transformed into Legendary Super Saiyan 3.
Before Beerus could react, Broly drove one foot into his stomach and launched him into the sky.
"Aaaagh!"
Beerus's scream echoed through the World of Void.
For the next thirty minutes, Broly gave the God of Destruction a thorough lesson in personal responsibility.
Shin watched Beerus pinball across the sky and could not help sighing.
"I still can't believe Broly has become this powerful."
"Stop admiring him and take the fighters from the GT timeline home," Elder Kai snapped.
"Right." Shin nodded, then hesitated. "Elder Kai, there's something I've been wondering."
Elder Kai gave him a suspicious look.
"Beerus only disappears if both of us die, correct?"
"Yes."
"Then what happens if Beerus dies first? Do both of us disappear with him?"
"Obviously!" Elder Kai barked. "What kind of question is that? Why are you always imagining the worst possible outcome?"
"Understood."
Shin hurried away before Elder Kai could start another lecture.
He gathered GT Goku, GT Vegeta, Uub, and GT Broly together near the edge of the arena.
"Can we visit again sometime?" GT Goku asked reluctantly. "Honestly, I'd love to enter that tournament Zeno-sama mentioned."
"That depends on Shin," Goku said.
Shin nodded.
"If the tournament truly happens, I'll come and find you."
"Then it's settled." GT Goku offered him a hand.
"I'll return you to your timeline now," Shin said.
Goku stepped closer to his counterpart.
"Next time, you and I should have a proper fight."
"Definitely." GT Goku grinned. "When I get home, I'm training harder than ever. Knowing there are this many people stronger than me only makes me more excited."
GT Vegeta folded his arms.
"Hmph. Next time, Kakarot, I won't lose to you so easily!"
The people nearby stared at him.
GT Vegeta frowned.
What?
Then he realized what he had said.
"I mean I won't lose at all!"
"That sounds better," Goku said with a laugh.
Shin placed a hand on the GT fighters and used Kai Kai. The five of them disappeared in a flash.
Broly, meanwhile, was still beating Beerus.
The punishment continued for another ten minutes, until Beerus's screams dwindled into weak groans and finally stopped altogether.
Vados watched him fall limp in midair.
"I must admit, Beerus-sama is remarkably durable."
Champa stood beside her, shaking violently.
He had mocked Beerus plenty of times, but seeing his brother reduced to this state made every joke suddenly feel dangerous.
Broly released Beerus.
The unconscious God of Destruction plummeted from the sky and smashed into the restored arena. The entire platform split apart beneath him and collapsed in a thunderous cloud of dust.
Broly descended slowly and landed beside him.
Then he slapped Beerus across the face several times.
Beerus's eyes snapped open.
He took one look at Broly, rolled onto his knees, and bowed before Ken.
"I understand! I'll never do it again!"
Ken sighed.
"Forget it. My temper is much better than it used to be. A few years ago, I would've replaced Universe 7's God of Destruction on the spot."
Beerus's mouth twitched.
He remained kneeling, too terrified to breathe loudly.
"The only reason you're still alive is that we're short on Gods of Destruction!" Buu added, pointing accusingly at him.
Ken turned and glared at Buu.
Broly did the same.
Buu slowly lowered his hand.
He had just said the quiet part aloud.
Fortunately, he had been with Ken and Broly long enough that neither of them bothered punishing him.
"You may leave," Ken told Beerus.
"Thank you for sparing me!"
Beerus bowed so low that his forehead struck the ground.
As he knelt there, he desperately fought the urge to slap himself.
What had possessed him to blame Ken?
Even worse, Zeno-sama had not cared who organized the tournament. Beerus had nearly gotten himself killed for nothing.
Whis stepped forward.
"In that case, we should return to Universe 7."
Frieza crept over and positioned himself beside Whis, carefully avoiding Beerus's gaze.
After seeing the God of Destruction beaten into submission, Frieza decided that keeping his distance was the safest choice.
Beerus bowed once more before Ken.
Whis tapped the base of his staff against the ground. Starlight burst from its crystal and enveloped Beerus and Frieza.
The three of them shot into the void and raced back toward Universe 7.
Only after they crossed the boundary between universes did Beerus look behind them. When he saw that no one was following, his entire body sagged with relief.
The motion pulled at his injuries, and pain shot through him.
"Whis," he groaned through clenched teeth. "Heal me."
"Of course, Beerus-sama."
Whis raised his staff. A soft glow washed over Beerus, and within seconds every bruise, fracture, and swollen patch of flesh vanished.
Beerus straightened.
Then he slowly turned toward Frieza.
Frieza began trembling.
"Why did you bring him with us?" Beerus demanded.
Whis blinked.
"Oh? Would you rather I had left Frieza behind?"
"I should erase him right now!" Beerus snarled. "He embarrassed Universe 7! I thought he might be useful, but he couldn't even defeat one Namekian!"
All the fury Beerus had been forced to swallow during the tournament found a new target.
He raised one hand toward Frieza.
Destruction energy gathered in his palm.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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