"Hmm?"
Gran came to a sudden, jarring halt. The sheer force of his deceleration rippled through the prairie, triggering an instantaneous, violent explosion. Smoke billowed and dust swirled, completely obscuring his vision.
"You're from Universe 4, if I recall correctly."
Like a phantom, Gran suddenly materialized directly behind Wright.
"So... so fast!"
Wright's pupils contracted violently. He dug his claws into the earth, frantically spinning his body around.
"Didn't you all say you were going to gang up on me? So why are you coming at me one by one to die?" Gran asked, stepping toward the wolf-like creature. His gaze was bone-chilling.
If there was anyone among the twelve universes who absolutely had to die, it was someone from Universe 4.
"Wait, Mr. Gran! I'm not here to fight you. I bear you no ill will."
Wright's lupine frame arched into a defensive crouch. Gran's pressure was suffocating, and he couldn't stop himself from recoiling.
"What do you mean?" Gran paused, intrigued.
Universe 4 was Quitela's domain. For his candidate to claim he held no hostility was... unexpected. Gran's curiosity was piqued. Sensing that Hit's situation wasn't dire yet, he decided he could afford a brief delay.
"Mr. Gran, I saw your confrontation with Quitela earlier. I know that both you and the Destroyer of Universe 7 harbor deep resentment toward him." Seeing Gran stop, Wright breathed a sigh of relief and ceased his retreat. "In truth, I don't get along with Quitela either. Even if I manage to return to Universe 4 safely, he'll just destroy me anyway."
Destroyed by Quitela?
Gran understood immediately. This ancient beast had likely been forcibly awakened by Quitela specifically for this tournament. Looking at the nauseating aura radiating from the wolf, it was clear he had committed atrocities in Universe 4 that would offend both gods and men.
Used and then discarded—given Quitela's treacherous and cunning nature, that was exactly his style.
"I'm curious. What exactly did you do in Universe 4? Care to share?" A faint smirk played on Gran's lips. Since Wright was here claiming no hostility, he obviously had a scheme in mind.
"..." Wright fell silent, his expression suggesting the details were difficult to voice.
"You came here to plot something, didn't you? If you can't even tell me what I want to know, then there's no point in collaborating." Gran's tone turned frigid again, and a surge of air began to roll off his body.
"I'll tell you!" Wright gritted his teeth and confessed to the devastation he had wrought. He had plagued tens of thousands of galaxies and slaughtered countless mortals... he had even single-handedly dragged down Universe 4's Mortal Level index by a significant margin.
"Hahaha!"
Upon hearing the full story, Gran doubled over in laughter, tears nearly welling in his eyes. Years ago, when he killed Oma—the assassin sent by Quitela—Quitela had been punished by Grand Zen-Oh. Quitela's hatred for Beerus, Gran, and the entirety of Universe 7 was absolute. He lived for revenge. However, Grand Zen-Oh had issued two decrees: one forbidding direct conflict between Destroyers, and another protecting Destroyer Candidates from the Gods.
Whether through overt or covert means, Quitela couldn't strike directly. This tournament was his golden opportunity, which was why he sought out the most powerful being in Universe 4 to compete.
Who would have thought... that the very candidate he chose had spent his time terrorizing Quitela's own universe first?
"You... you're a real piece of work!" Gran wiped the tears from his eyes, still breathless from laughing.
"..." Wright clenched his fists tightly. He desperately wanted to punch the man in front of him, but he knew that if he struck now, any chance of an alliance with Universe 7 would vanish.
"Mr. Gran, are you finished laughing?"
"Not yet. Give me a moment." Gran composed himself, finally suppressing his amusement. He gave Wright a meaningful look. "So, what's your actual goal in waiting for me?"
"Quitela ordered me to kill you, but I obviously have no intention of doing that now. I want to cooperate." Wright Granced back at the spectator stands for Universe 4. "I'll help you take down the candidates from the other universes. In exchange, you have Lord Beerus grant me asylum. How does that sound?"
In truth, Wright had been lost ever since he left Universe 4 for the Null Realm. He had no idea how to escape Quitela's erasure. Seeing the earlier clash between the Gods of Destruction, he realized their power was far more terrifying than he had ever imagined. Escape was impossible.
However, that display of divine might also revealed a sliver of hope. Beerus and Quitela were arch-enemies, and Beerus was arguably the strongest among the Destroyers. If he defected to Universe 7 and Beerus agreed to protect him, Quitela wouldn't be able to touch him. To make that happen, he first needed to win over Universe 7's candidate.
"Team up with you to take out the others?" Gran sized up the ancient creature, a smirk returning to his face. "Do you even have the strength for that?"
"Hahaha!" Wright threw his head back and laughed, his tone dripping with newfound confidence. "Mr. Gran, do you have any idea how long I've lived?"
Before Gran could answer, Wright continued, "I have lived for two hundred million years. I am immortal! Therefore, the one thing I do not lack is strength!"
With those words, a terrifying explosion of power erupted from Wright.
BOOM!
Waves of black smoke surged outward in every direction. Within that smoke, one could hear the faint, haunting echoes of human screams, roars, and whispers. This power was the crystallized fear harvested from the mortals Wright had slaughtered. It was pure evil. Wherever the smoke touched, flora withered and lakes dried up. The bright sky of the arena suddenly turned pitch black, transforming the battlefield into a literal purgatory.
The entire stage began to tremble violently. Every contestant paused to look toward the source.
"This... this is the power of the mid-level Sixth Tier!"
"Damn it! Besides that guy from Universe 7, there's actually someone else this strong?"
"This disgusting aura... it belongs to that guy from Universe 4. Is he fighting the Universe 7 candidate already?"
The competing candidates were shaken to their core. Up in the stands, the Gods were equally stunned.
"Mid-level Sixth Tier... that's arguably stronger than Beerus's boy. That guy is incredible!" Iwan, the Destroyer of Universe 1, muttered while clenching his fists.
"Another Sixth-Tier powerhouse? This is bad news for my Rosa!" Helles of Universe 2 gritted her teeth.
Arak of Universe 5 suppressed his shock, noting, "His aura is so wretched. I'm surprised Quitela dared to let him compete without worrying Grand Zen-Oh would erase him on the spot!"
As the Gods discussed the malevolent aura, Quitela Granced nervously toward Grand Zen-Oh's seat. Fortunately, the Omni-King and the Grand Minister only frowned slightly before returning to the spectacle.
"Hahaha!" Quitela burst into laughter, turning to mock Beerus. "Beerus, I admit your candidate's talent is frightening, but he hasn't trained nearly long enough! Wright feeds on the fear of mortals. As long as fear exists, he cannot die! He has lived for two hundred million years—longer than even I have! His power surpasses that brat Gran's. How do you plan to beat me now?"
Quitela's taunts echoed through the Null Realm, but they failed to elicit any reaction from the Universe 7 contingent. They knew Gran's true depth. A mid-level Sixth Tier? Even a peak Sixth-Tier wouldn't stand a chance. Still, they had to admit the ancient beast was impressive for a mortal to reach such heights.
"Quitela!" Beerus rose from his seat, hands behind his back, looking toward his rival with a playful smirk. "I think you've misunderstood something."
"?" Quitela blinked, confused.
"Hahaha! Haven't you realized it yet? Your candidate has no intention of fighting mine!" Thanks to Whis's insight, Beerus already knew Wright's true motive: he was begging for protection.
"What?" Quitela looked back at the stage. Wright had unleashed his power, but he wasn't attacking. He was just standing there. "Damn it, what is going on?"
Quitela ordered Cognic to replay the conversation between the two. Once he understood the full scope of the betrayal, his blood boiled. The other Gods, realizing the same, began to jeer at him.
"Quitela, what is your candidate doing? Is he betraying us?"
"Did you think that by betraying the alliance, Universe 4 could secure a spot and avoid punishment?"
"You're delusional. Champa is Beerus's brother; they've been allied from the start. You think they'd save a spot for you?"
The roars of the other Destroyers filled Quitela's ears, and his rage reached a breaking point. He wasn't mad at the other Gods; he was livid at Wright's treachery.
"Damn you! I knew you were restless, but I never expected you to stab me in the back like this!" Quitela screamed from the stands, his voice booming toward the stage. "Wright! I am the one who woke you up! Are you really going to repay me with betrayal? I'll give you one last chance: join the others and kill Beerus's candidate right now, and I'll pretend I never heard a word you just said!"
On the stage, amidst the ruined prairie, Wright was wreathed in black smoke and the screams of the damned. He looked like a wolf returned from the depths of hell.
"Mid-level Sixth Tier power? Interesting." Gran Granced up at the stands and smiled. "You heard Quitela. Are you still choosing to side with me?"
"Him?" Wright suddenly morphed into a humanoid form. He wore the vestments of a Destroyer and had raven-black hair, but his eyes remained purely evil. "You know better than anyone how treacherous that rat is. Do you think his word is worth anything?" Wright spread his arms wide, projecting an air of invincility. "So, Mr. Gran, do I have the qualifications to be your ally now?"
Gran fell silent for a moment. A mid-level Sixth Tier was undeniably stronger than Hit. If they teamed up...
"Heh, there are no 'ifs' here." Gran's smile widened. "The chubby Lord Champa is quite endearing, and he's been good to me. There's no room for an 'if'."
"What do you mean?" A sense of dread washed over Wright, and he instinctively stepped back.
"I only have one ally, and that is Universe 6. As for you..." Gran began to walk toward Wright, his presence becoming overwhelming. Even though Wright's power was technically higher on paper, his spirit began to shrink in the face of Gran's aura.
"What are you doing?"
"As for you... the moment you became the candidate for Universe 4, your fate as my enemy was sealed."
Gran didn't offer a further explanation. His expression settled into the cold, detached indifference of a true Destroyer—a look of total disdain for all living things. As he walked, his form began to shift. His black hair stood up sharply, leaving only a single lock of hair draped over his forehead. His features became more angular and defined, and his musculature became leaner and more efficient.
He looked sharp, composed, and invincible. This was Gran's "Mystic State." His current form was a fusion of his Divine Dimension and the Ultimate Power. As he entered this state, his true power level was laid bare: Peak Sixth Tier of the Divine Realm.
"Wh... what?"
"His power jumped from the Initial Sixth Tier to the Peak in an instant! How is that possible?"
The Gods of Destruction stared in wide-eyed shock. Quitela finally remembered Gran's warning about not being "scared" by his power.
"Damn it! Beerus, what kind of monster is your candidate?!" Quitela shrieked from the stands.
"Hahaha! Starting to feel the fear now? Just wait, Gran is only getting started with his payback!" Beerus laughed heartily.
The Angels were just as surprised. "It looks like a transformation, but usually, those come with drawbacks. I don't see a single flaw in him," one remarked. "His mind is calm, his power is steady, and there's no strain on his body... this is the perfect state usually only achievable in one's base form!"
"How did he do it?" The Angels turned to Vados and Whis. On the Universe 7 bench, the two siblings simply smiled and looked at the Elder Kai. Gran's perfect state was entirely the result of the old man's unique potential unlocking.
"Why is everyone looking at me?" The Elder Kai puffed out his chest, looking immensely smug.
"Lord Elder Kai truly is remarkable," Whis and Vados said, giving the old deity a simultaneous thumbs-up.
"You'd better believe it!" The Elder Kai's grin widened.
Back on the stage, a white aura enveloped Gran. His Peak Sixth-Tier power vibrated through the arena, causing the ground to crumble and disintegrate.
"No... impossible! You were clearly at the Initial Sixth-Tier. How could you reach the Peak level in a heartbeat?" Wright scrambled backward over the shifting debris.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Gran blurred, appearing behind Wright instantly. He moved so fast that even Wright's senses couldn't track him.
"Mr. Gran, you know I have no hostility! Quitela is our common enemy! Why won't you work with me?" Wright screamed, spinning around to face him. Cooperation was his only lifeline, and this man was cutting it.
"Why are you so talkative?" Gran was done with words. He hadn't fought seriously in centuries; he needed to use this wolf as a warm-up.
Zip! He vanished again.
"Curse you!" Wright stood atop a massive boulder, refusing to retreat further. His eyes darted around, searching for Gran. "I have lived for two hundred million years! I feed on fear! To me, mortals are nothing but ants! Don't think for a second that reaching the Peak of the Sixth Tier makes you invincible! To me, you're just a slightly stronger ant! If you won't cooperate, then prepare to die!"
For a moment, he had felt fear—him, a creature that literally ate fear for breakfast. It was a humiliation he couldn't endure. He forced his terror down, replacing it with a desperate, murderous resolve.
"Behind me!" Wright spun and threw a punch. He had guessed correctly—Gran was attacking from behind, matching him with a punch of his own.
BOOM!
The two fists collided. The clash of mid-level and peak-level Sixth-Tier power generated a storm of endless lightning. The shockwaves pulverized the ground beneath them. Leveraging the force of the impact, Wright leaped back to maintain his footing on the stage.
"Hahaha! I thought Peak Sixth-Tier power would be something special, but it's nothing more than this!" Wright laughed, though his arm was throbbing so painfully he could barely keep his fist clenched. Damn it, why is a Peak-level hit so much heavier?
"Good. I was actually worried I'd kill you too quickly," Gran replied. It was rare to find a Sixth-Tier opponent, and he wasn't about to let the "practice session" end too soon.
And so, the battle continued. Gran held back his full Peak-level output, choosing instead to engage in a pure contest of martial arts. The battlefield shifted constantly—from the prairie to the snowy peaks, then down into the subterranean magma. To the casual observer, they seemed evenly matched.
Seeing this, the color returned to Quitela's pale face. "Hahaha! I thought Wright was going to betray me, but it turns out that brat was too stupid to accept the offer! Wright is an ancient being of two hundred million years; did you really think he lived that long for nothing?"
At the Universe 11 stands, Belmod squinted. "Are they locked in a stalemate? That's fine. As long as he can trade blows with Beerus's candidate, he's useful. Once Jiren arrives, that Gran kid is dead meat."
Liqir of Universe 8 shouted toward the stage, "Joe! The Universe 7 candidate is tied up! Get over there and help finish him off!" Other Gods followed suit, urging their candidates to converge.
They were so desperate to see Gran defeated that they failed to notice anything unusual. The Angels, however, saw the truth. Gran's movements were initially a bit stiff—the sign of someone who hadn't fought in a long time. He wasn't using the full weight of his power because... he was warming up. He was using Wright to reclaim his combat instincts.
"This little monster is using a mid-level Sixth-Tier powerhouse as a training dummy... that is truly..." The Angels were once again left in awe.
"Almost there," Whis murmured, his smile deepening. In his eyes, Gran's techniques, awareness, and experience were rapidly awakening. His body was finally loosening up.
One minute passed.
"Hahaha! You dared to refuse my alliance, but you're not all that!" Wright shouted. Finding that Gran couldn't seem to overwhelm him, his confidence soared. Using the momentum of an exchange, he rocketed ten thousand meters into the air before diving back down.
Whoosh!
Thick black smoke swirled around Wright, his eyes gleaming with malice. As he descended, he reverted to his full demonic wolf form.
"DIE!!"
"WOLF SWALLOWS THE SKY!!!"
BOOM!
Black light erupted from Wright's jaws. As the power detonated, it felt as though an eternal night had fallen, swallowing all light on the stage. It was as if dawn would never come again, and Gran, standing on the ground below, was completely erased from view.
"Hahaha! Godly Dimension? Peak Sixth-Tier power? So what? Before me, you're nothing but trash!" Wright laughed into the void of his own darkness.
However...
"You piece of garbage. I was just taking it easy on you. You didn't actually think you were strong, did you?"
A voice, cold and ruthless, whispered directly into Wright's ear.
"Wh... what?" The fur on Wright's body stood on end in pure terror.
In that instant, the "eternal night" was shattered by a blinding white radiance emanating from Gran. After the previous exchange, Gran was completely unscathed—not even his clothes were singed. His posture had changed; he looked comfortable, having finally rediscovered his rhythm.
"Alright, time to end this."
Gran Granced toward Hit. Hit's ki was steady. It was impressive that a Fourth-Tier warrior could hold out for so long. But another candidate with Fifth-Tier power was closing in. Hit could handle one, but two would be his end.
"You..." Wright began, but Gran cut him off.
"You're the first to die, then it's Quitela's turn. Go down there and save a spot for him!"
Gran moved.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
In a split second, Gran hammered countless punches into Wright's chest. His speed was more terrifying than Hit's Time-Skip; it was as if time itself couldn't capture his movements. The true, unbridled power of the Peak Sixth-Tier detonated inside Wright.
"AAAAAAGH!!!"
Wright's body couldn't contain the force. He began to disintegrate.
"No... impossible! Peak Sixth-Tier is only supposed to be slightly stronger than me! Why is your power so monstrous?" As he watched his form crumble, fear reclaimed his soul. He was a creature that ate fear, yet now, he was the one dying of it.
"No... stop! I am immortal!!!"
The pure, raw power of the Peak Sixth-Tier shredded his lupine body, twisting it into a grotesque shape. Finally...
BOOM!
Wright's entire body exploded into nothingness. And Gran? He was already gone, vanished from the spot.
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