With the departure of Zen-Oh and the Grand Minister, the expected roar of voices didn't break the silence. Instead, the World of Void remained eerily quiet, every face etched with a mask of dread.
Gran hadn't anticipated this specific punishment. He thought that even if Universe 7 had lost, raising their Mortal Level from 3.50 to 4.50 wouldn't have been impossible.
But then, a realization hit him, and his expression soured.
He had vowed to make Universe 7 the top-ranked universe. Now, under Zen-Oh's new decree, if the top-ranked Universe 1 also increased by a full point, Gran would have to push Universe 7 even harder just to bridge the gap!
"I'm starting to think the Grand Minister wasn't punishing the others... he was punishing me!" Gran muttered, looking up at the spot where the deities had vanished. The Grand Minister had given him a very meaningful look before he left.
Were the Grand Minister and Zen-Oh really that devious?
"Lord Gran, Lord Champa and the others are coming down," Hit said, snapping Gran out of his thoughts.
Standing on the fractured ice, Gran watched as Beerus and the rest of the group leaped from the spectator stands, their boots hitting the ground with a rhythmic series of thuds.
"Gran, you did a magnificent job!" Beerus shouted as he approached. In a rare display of genuine affection, he bumped his fist against Gran's chest before pulling him into a brief, firm hug.
Whis smiled warmly. "Impressive indeed. Truly a disciple worthy of my tutelage."
Old Kai let out a mischievous, high-pitched cackle. "Thank goodness for Gran. Otherwise, we'd be facing that nightmare of a punishment along with the rest of them."
Their voices were thick with excitement. For Universes 6 and 7, this was a total victory. No punishment, no risk of erasure—it was hard not to be thrilled.
However, while they were celebrating, Gran's face was a picture of misery. Beerus noticed, letting go of Gran and frowning. "What's with that look? What's wrong?"
The others turned their attention to Gran.
"Lord Beerus, I'm telling you, the Grand Minister did this just to mess with me!" Gran groaned.
"What do you mean?" The group blinked in confusion.
"Did you forget? I'm supposed to make Universe 7 number one! If the other universes keep raising their Mortal Levels, I have to run twice as fast just to catch up!"
The group fell silent. They knew Gran wasn't the type to let a goal go.
Suddenly, Champa doubled over, clutching his stomach as he roared with laughter. "Who told you to aim for number one? If you stop being so ambitious, you won't have a problem!"
Fuwa, the Supreme Kai of Universe 6, nodded in agreement. "Mr. Gran, you're just making life difficult for yourself. May I suggest you simply... give up on that idea?"
Give up? The members of Universe 7 looked at each other. Knowing Gran's stubborn nature, "giving up" wasn't in his vocabulary. It seemed Zen-Oh's punishment really was a double-edged sword for him.
"Whis, why don't you go ask the Grand Minister if he can cancel the punishment for everyone? Then Gran won't feel so bad," Beerus suggested tentatively.
"If you want to ask, go ahead. I'm not touching that," Whis said, giving the skinny cat a flat look. Beerus immediately shrank back. If it meant facing the Grand Minister, he'd rather stay quiet.
The arena fell silent again as everyone wondered what Gran was thinking.
"You did pretty well yourself," Champa said, patting Hit on the shoulder. "I thought for sure that fat hag from Universe 2 was going to finish you off, but you managed to pull through with that last-second dodge."
Rhot, the other candidate from Universe 6, added excitedly, "I'm just glad you were the one fighting. If it had been me, I'd have been dead ten times over."
Hit looked at Gran and shook his head. "I'm only alive because of Lord Gran. He's the one we should be thanking."
"I know it was his doing," Champa huffed, "but you played your part. Don't worry, I keep my promises. Once we're back in Universe 6, you'll be rewarded."
"Thank you, Lord Champa."
As they spoke, Gran remained looking upward, searching for something.
"Where did he go? Did he run for it?" Gran whispered.
"Who are you looking for?" Whis asked curiously.
"Quitela."
Gran didn't hide his intent, but the mention of the name sent a shiver through the group.
"What are you planning to do?" Beerus asked, his tone turning serious.
"What else? I was going to finish him off while he's down." Gran's voice was calm, but the killing intent rolling off him was unmistakable.
Champa and Vados exchanged a stunned look. This kid had just wiped out a small army of Destroyer Candidates, and now he was already hunting for a God of Destruction?
"Zen-Oh only forbade fighting between Gods of Destruction," Gran said, cracking his neck. "He never said a Candidate couldn't fight a God. That rat sent people to assassinate me. If I weren't strong enough, I'd be dead. I don't let people who try to kill me just walk away."
Logic-wise, he was right. But Quitela, despite his current state, was a God of Destruction second only to Beerus. Even a "starving camel is bigger than a horse," as the saying goes.
Champa expected Beerus to tell Gran to calm down, but instead...
"You're right. We shouldn't let him get away with it!" Beerus scanned the area. "Wait, where is he? Did he actually bail?"
"He did indeed," Whis said, using his scepter to project a recording. The moment Zen-Oh had left, Quitela had wasted no time fleeing the World of Void. However, Cognic, the Angel of Universe 4, remained behind, seemingly wrapping up loose ends.
"You guys..." Champa stared at Beerus, Gran, and Whis. These three were genuinely prepared to commit a deicide.
"Tch. He got away," Gran sighed.
"Let him go for now. There will be other opportunities," Beerus said, patting Gran's shoulder.
At that moment, the Gods of Destruction from the other stands began to descend, accompanied by their Kais and Angels.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
As they landed, Champa, Hit, and Fuwa tensed up. Killing was allowed in the battle royale, but Gran had just systematically slaughtered almost all of their successors. That was the kind of move that made enemies of everyone.
"What do you all want?" Beerus asked, crossing his arms and looking unimpressed.
Gran sized them up as well. If they wanted to pick a fight, he was more than happy to send a few more souls to the void.
The group of Gods stopped about ten meters away. The air grew heavy with tension as the two sides stared each other down.
"Beerus!" Iwan, the furry God of Universe 1, called out. "Where on earth did you find this little monster?"
"Little monster?" Gran pointed at himself, then realized everyone was indeed looking at him. His face darkened. Seriously?
"That's for me to know and you to stay curious about," Beerus said, lifting his chin. Gran's performance had filled him with an unbearable amount of pride. He was more certain than ever that choosing Gran was the best decision he'd ever made.
Beerus's smug face made the other Gods grit their teeth. But they knew the rules: the winner takes all. If they had won, they would have been even more arrogant.
"I actually envy you, Beerus," Rumsshi, the elephantine God of Universe 10, suddenly said.
The other Gods stared at him in shock. None of them liked Beerus, so hearing one of their own express envy was jarring.
"Hahaha!" Beerus barked. "Envy won't get you anywhere!"
Gran shook his head. Beerus was clearly having the best day of his life.
Rumsshi ignored Beerus and walked straight up to Gran. The other Gods narrowed their eyes, wondering what the elephant was up to.
"Lord Rumsshi, is there something I can do for you?" Gran asked neutrally.
"Thank you." Rumsshi reached out and patted Gran's shoulder.
Gran blinked, stunned. The surrounding Gods were equally confused.
"Primo was a hero of Universe 10. He was sealed away, and I was the one who woke him to fight in this tournament," Rumsshi sighed. "I thought he'd win, but he ran into a little monster like you. However... thank you for not using Hakai on him. Now, I can at least have him resurrected."
The other Gods suddenly understood. Gran hadn't used the Power of Destruction on everyone. He had spared Lambert of Universe 1, Bergamo of Universe 9, Primo of Universe 10, and Jiren of Universe 11.
"What?!" Liquiir of Universe 8 pointed a finger at Gran, his teeth bared. "Why did you spare their candidates but erase mine?!"
Gran's gaze turned icy. He crossed his arms. "What, you lot were trying to kill me, and I'm supposed to ask for permission before I defend myself?"
Beerus and Champa were also slightly curious why Gran had spared those four, but now wasn't the time to ask. Beerus stepped forward, his aura turning cold. "So what if he erased your candidate? Do you have a problem with that?"
Champa, who had learned that following Gran's lead always ended well, stepped up too. "If you're not happy, why don't you Gods challenge Gran yourselves? We'll see if he decides to erase you or not!"
Gran gave Champa a sideways look. He expected the fat cat to say "fight me," but instead, Champa just threw Gran back into the ring. Typical Champa. Still, he appreciated the backup.
"You...!" Liquiir was speechless.
Fight this monster? He wasn't insane. If he won, it was expected; if he lost, he'd never live it down. Besides, from what they'd seen, Gran's power was already beyond most Gods of Destruction. If Quitela had to sneak away, they didn't stand a chance.
With a heavy sigh, Liquiir turned and left the World of Void. The Gods of Universes 2, 3, and 5 followed suit without a word.
"Hmph. Just you wait!" Giene, the sea monster of Universe 12, didn't leave quietly. He spat out a threat before vanishing.
"Lord Beerus, that guy is pretty annoying. Should I go take care of him now?" Gran asked, watching Giene's retreating.
Whack!
A sharp blow landed on Gran's head.
"Ow! Lord Beerus, what was that for?!" Gran shouted, rubbing his head.
"Can you tone down the bloodlust for five minutes?" Beerus glared at him. "You think you can just go around killing Gods of Destruction whenever you feel like it?"
The only Gods left on the stage were from Universes 1, 9, 10, and 11—the ones whose candidates Gran had spared.
Beerus glanced at Belmod and the others. "If killing Gods was that easy, I would have wiped you all out back when the Grand Minister asked us to test the stage!"
The remaining Gods—Iwan, Sidra, Rumsshi, and Belmod—all shuddered. The killing intent in Beerus's voice was very real. He actually had wanted to kill them.
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