"Hey, Champa," Beerus called out, a hint of tension creeping into his voice that he couldn't quite hide.
"What now?" Champa snapped, his face twisted in displeasure. He curled his lip, his eyes full of impatience. It was clear he was still brooding over Universe 6's defeat.
How annoying. To actually lose to Universe 7!
And to make matters worse, that Vegeta fellow from Universe 7 took down so many of our fighters all by himself. It's absolutely humiliating.
"Hey, Champa!" Beerus called out again, his tone growing more urgent.
"What?! I get it, the Super Dragon Balls are yours! Take them!" Champa barked, assuming Beerus was just there to rub it in and claim his prize.
"No! Look over there! You idiot!!!" Beerus exploded, his voice cracking as he frantically pointed toward the spot where Grand Zeno had appeared.
Champa froze. He followed Beerus's finger, and the moment he saw the figure standing there, the color drained from his face, leaving him deathly pale.
"Is Lord Beerus really okay with pointing at Grand Zeno like that?" Whis sighed softly, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.
Beerus's lip twitched violently. Every drop of blood seemed to vanish from his face, leaving him looking sickly. His heart felt as though it had skipped a beat.
"Gr—Grand Zeno!" Champa gasped, his entire body going stiff. He let out a strangled cry, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
Beerus was shaking just as hard, his tail curling up in terror as cold sweat instantly drenched his forehead.
Vegeta: "..."
Grand Zeno arrived after all.
Even if the course of the tournament was a bit different from my previous life...
The end result is exactly the same.
Beerus and Champa didn't dare delay for a second. They scrambled into the air, flying toward Grand Zeno with a posture so rigid and respectful it was almost painful to watch.
Goku looked utterly lost. He leaned in close to Vegeta and whispered, "Who is that guy? Lord Beerus looks like he's about to have a heart attack. Is he someone really powerful?"
"Hmph. Don't ask me," Vegeta snapped, shooting Goku a warning glare.
Kakarot, you bumbling teammate.
If I give you the answer, everyone here will realize I've been reincarnated, and then I'll be in real trouble.
"Grand Zeno is the greatest god of the twelve universes, presiding over the life and death of all existence," Whis explained patiently, turning back to Goku with a gentle smile.
"What? The greatest god of the twelve universes?" Piccolo gasped, his eyes wide with shock.
Bardock's brow furrowed, his expression shifting as a wave of shock washed over him.
A god that powerful and exalted actually exists?
Coming to this era has certainly been an eye-opener.
By now, Champa and Beerus were kneeling respectfully before Grand Zeno. Their faces were plastered with fawning smiles, even as massive beads of sweat rolled down their cheeks and soaked their collars.
"Welcome... Grand Zeno," Champa stammered, his voice carrying a faint, unmistakable tremor.
"Is there something we can help you with today?" Beerus asked cautiously, not even daring to lift his head.
"I came specifically to remind you both about organizing a tournament like this without permission," Zeno said. His face was expressionless and his tone flat, yet it carried an undeniable authority that brooked no argument.
"Yes, sir!" Champa nodded vigorously, his attitude as humble as it could possibly be.
"We are terribly sorry! We won't ever do it again!" Beerus added, terrified out of his wits as he scrambled to apologize.
"However, after watching your tournament, I found it quite interesting. I'm even thinking about holding a similar competition on an all-universe scale next time," Zeno said, a pure, innocent smile spreading across his face as his eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Yes! A brilliant idea, Grand Zeno!"
Champa and Beerus began kowtowing repeatedly, terrified of doing anything that might upset him.
"Really? An all-universe tournament!" Goku's interest was instantly piqued. His eyes lit up as he hurried over, exclaiming excitedly, "Then let's do it! That sounds like a blast!"
Beerus's face went dark, the veins on his forehead bulging. In his mind, he was cursing Goku a thousand times over.
This guy is way too familiar with everyone.
Doesn't he realize just how exalted Grand Zeno's status is?
Champa's face was even darker; he looked like he wanted to swat Goku like a fly.
Why are you butting in?
Don't you know this is going to bring us nothing but trouble?
"Goku, don't just speak up to Grand Zeno on your own! Get over there and stay out of this!" Beerus hissed under his breath, his voice laced with warning.
"Sure, let's do that then. We'll find a time," Zeno said, not angry in the slightest. Instead, he nodded with a smile, clearly in favor of Goku's suggestion.
"It's a deal, then." Goku reached out a hand toward Zeno and gave a friendly smile, flashing a row of brilliant white teeth.
Zeno blinked, staring blankly at Goku's outstretched hand as if he were a bit lost.
Meanwhile, Zeno's two attendants glared at Goku, their eyes flickering with murderous intent. A terrifying aura radiated from them; it was clear that at a single word from Zeno, they would strike without hesitation.
"Wait a second... Goku..." Beerus was trembling so hard he was practically collapsing onto the floor.
I know you're naive.
But I never imagined you'd actually try to SHAKE HANDS with Grand Zeno.
Are you trying to get Universe 7 erased?!
Zeno looked at Goku for a moment, then took a few small steps forward and gently placed his tiny palm into Goku's hand.
Goku crouched down, smiling as he gave Zeno's hand a firm shake.
"Mm, it's a deal," Zeno said, a radiant smile spreading across his face. He seemed genuinely happy.
Seeing this, Champa and Beerus finally let out the breath they'd been holding. They sighed in relief, their backs completely drenched in cold sweat.
Vegeta: "..."
Even in this new life, Kakarot and Zeno ended up hitting it off after all.
Maybe it's because both of them are the 'blissfully ignorant' type.
Is this some kind of kindred spirit thing between simpletons?
Vegeta found himself overthinking it for a moment, his lip twitching involuntarily.
"I'm going now," Zeno said, letting go of Goku's hand and waving goodbye.
"I'll be looking forward to it! See you next time!" Goku grinned and waved back, his face full of sincerity.
"Bye-bye!" Zeno waved again, his smile still bright.
Flash!
In the blink of an eye, Zeno and his two attendants vanished, as if they had never been there at all.
Goku wore a smile, but a look of intense anticipation flickered in his eyes.
A tournament between all the universes... that should be fun, right? I'll definitely get to meet a lot of strong opponents.
"You... you brat!" Beerus growled, his face dark with lingering frustration. "Do you have any idea who Grand Zeno is? You actually dared to shake his hand!"
"I don't know the specifics, but seeing how well-behaved you were, Lord Beerus, I figured Grand Zeno must be a pretty incredible god," Goku grinned, scratching his head with an innocent look.
"You'd better believe it!" Beerus snorted, his voice still trembling slightly from the aftershock. "If Grand Zeno gets even a little bit upset, he can erase an entire universe with a single wave of his hand. We'd all be finished!"
"Huh? He's that strong?" Goku looked taken aback, his eyes widening in shock. He hadn't realized Zeno's power was so terrifying.
"Now you know just how formidable Grand Zeno is. Next time, watch your tongue and don't be so reckless," Beerus said, his chest heaving as he tried to calm down.
"Exactly!" Champa chimed in, huffing and puffing in agreement. "You've got some nerve, kid, actually initiating a handshake with Grand Zeno! If he'd been in a bad mood, both our universes would have paid the price!"
"Well... haha..." Goku gave an embarrassed laugh and scratched his head.
"Since Grand Zeno didn't punish us, let's just stick to what we agreed on," Beerus said with a triumphant smirk, turning to look at Champa with interest. "Champa, I won't be modest. These Super Dragon Balls are all mine."
"Hmph, do whatever you want!" Champa snorted, looking thoroughly disgruntled. Feeling that staying any longer would be too humiliating, he immediately turned to Vados. "Vados, we're leaving!"
"Of course," Vados nodded. With a light wave of her staff, she led the Universe 6 team into the Cube and sped away, vanishing into the horizon in an instant.
Only the Universe 7 group remained.
Beerus didn't waste any time. He spoke in the language of the gods—a tongue only they could understand—and summoned the Divine Dragon from the Super Dragon Balls.
Each Super Dragon Ball was the size of a planet, and the Divine Dragon summoned from all seven was so colossal it nearly rivaled a galaxy. It blotted out the stars, radiating a vast and majestic aura.
Faced with such a gargantuan creature, Goku and the others felt like less than a grain of sand—utterly insignificant.
Since the planet they had been competing on was actually one of the hidden Super Dragon Balls, Whis had brought everyone into the Cube the moment the Divine Dragon appeared.
Beerus made his wish in the divine tongue, his voice low and mysterious.
Goku and the others couldn't understand a word he said, so they could only watch with curiosity.
"Whis, are you sure there won't be any negative energy?" Goku asked, still feeling uneasy. He furrowed his brow, remembering the bitter lessons he'd learned from negative energy before.
If a dragon this big produces negative energy... I'm not sure we could handle it.
"Don't worry, Mr. Goku. How could there be negative energy? The Super Dragon Balls are extremely stable," Whis comforted him with a confident smile.
"That's good, that's good," Goku breathed a sigh of relief, a look of ease finally returning to his face.
"By the way, Mr. Goku, how is this 'negative energy' produced?" Whis asked curiously, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.
"It happens when too many wishes are made, and cracks start appearing on the Dragon Balls... once the cracks reach a certain point, negative energy emerges," Goku explained truthfully, recalling his experiences back on Earth. "When that energy appears, it gives birth to Shadow Dragons, and they are incredibly powerful."
"Cracks on the Dragon Balls?" Whis mused, nodding thoughtfully.
"Yeah... but those were the Dragon Balls on Earth... surely balls this big won't have any cracks, right?" Goku scratched his head and laughed, thinking he was probably overthinking things.
"Your wish has been granted. Farewell!" The Divine Dragon's voice boomed like thunder, echoing through the vastness of space.
With that, the dragon transformed into a mass of golden light, soaring upward before dissipating into the void.
As the light faded, the seven Super Dragon Balls instantly turned into dull, lifeless stone.
Crack!
Suddenly, a sharp snapping sound echoed from one of the Dragon Balls. Though faint, it reached Goku's ears with perfect clarity.
Whoosh!
The next moment, the seven planet-sized stones hurtled away toward different corners of the universe, streaking across the sky like meteors before vanishing from sight.
Goku's ears perked up, his expression shifting rapidly as a look of intense wariness filled his eyes.
"Whis, did you hear that? I thought I heard one of the Dragon Balls crack just now," Goku's lip twitched as he hurriedly asked Whis, his voice laced with unease.
"Oh my, that was likely just thermal expansion and contraction. Mr. Goku, don't worry about such small details," Whis chuckled, his tone remaining light.
Goku: "..."
Is it really just thermal expansion? Goku wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead, still feeling that something was off.
"Rest assured..." Whis smiled, a hint of depth in his gaze. "Besides, even if a Shadow Dragon really does appear, with your strength, Mr. Goku, dealing with them shouldn't be much of a problem."
"Well... you're talking about the Shadow Dragons from my world. With my current strength, I could definitely take them down easily," Goku nodded, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his chin. His lip twitched again as he said in a low voice, "But if a Shadow Dragon is born from the Super Dragon Balls... I don't know if I'd be so confident."
Whis maintained his gentle smile, patiently soothing Goku with a voice as steady as still water.
"Is it really going to be okay?" Goku asked again, his brow furrowed into a knot. He clearly couldn't let it go.
"It'll be fine," Whis smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly. "And even if something does go wrong, don't we still have Lord Beerus?"
Goku nodded thoughtfully, glancing over at Beerus with a look of inquiry.
"And then there's the fusion of you and Broly, Mr. Goku. That kind of power is something even a God of Destruction would have to be wary of," Whis added, his tone full of certainty.
"Why do I feel like the way you're talking... makes it sound like a Shadow Dragon really is going to be born?" Goku scratched his head, forcing a strained smile. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was fishy.
"Oh ho... no matter what happens, Grand Zeno can erase any evil power with a single wave of his hand, so there's truly no need to worry," Whis replied easily, as if he were discussing something trivial.
"He can really just erase it?" Goku blinked, his eyes wide with curiosity about Zeno's power.
"There is nothing Grand Zeno cannot erase," Whis said, his smile unwavering and his tone absolute.
"Then I guess I can relax," Goku sighed, his tense shoulders finally slumping. He then turned to Beerus. "So, Lord Beerus, what was the wish you finally made?"
"I'm not telling you," Beerus rolled his eyes, intentionally playing hard to get, though a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Goku: "..."
"Oh my, what's the deal with these bird eggs?" Whis said, lightly waving his scepter. A faint light shimmered at its tip.
Pop!
Suddenly, a massive gift box appeared on Beerus, the ribbons fluttering behind him in a somewhat comical fashion.
The box opened automatically, revealing smooth, rounded eggs inside that gleamed with a faint luster.
Goku and the others leaned in curiously and saw ten strange eggs lying in the box. They were about the size of ostrich eggs, their surfaces covered in delicate patterns.
Beerus's lip twitched, and a guilty look flashed in his eyes as he instinctively tried to hide the box behind his back.
"Huh? Are those bird eggs? They look huge," Goku said in surprise, reaching out to touch one.
"Of course," Beerus nodded, trying to act natural. "These things are delicious. I wouldn't give them to just anyone."
"So, Lord Beerus, you made a wish to the Divine Dragon... and all you wanted were these bird eggs?" Goku was speechless, scratching his head. He never expected a wish from the Super Dragon Balls to be used on this.
"What do you know? These are Cold-Cold Bird eggs—the most exquisite delicacy in Universe 6!" Beerus snapped, rolling his eyes at Goku.
"Are they really that good?" Goku smacked his lips and swallowed, stepping forward to pick up an egg. He weighed it in his hand, looking like he was about to take a bite.
Whack!
Beerus slapped Goku upside the head with a sharp crack.
"Idiot! They aren't even cooked yet. Do you want to eat them raw? You're lowering the class of this egg!" Beerus huffed, scolding him as he snatched the egg back and carefully tucked it back into the gift box.
"Oh, right," Goku said, rubbing his head. He nodded thoughtfully, figuring Beerus had a point.
Vegeta: "..."
A bead of sweat rolled down Vegeta's face, dripping from his chin onto his collar.
In this life, we gathered all seven Super Dragon Balls, and the result was... ten Cold-Cold Bird eggs?
Can we not be so casual about this?
If you wanted something like that, you could have just asked the Earth's dragon! Why waste the Super Dragon Balls?!
What a total waste!
Vegeta felt a massive headache coming on. He pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling his temples throb.
I remember in the previous life, Lord Beerus wished for Universe 6's Earth to be restored. That was so meaningful.
And now, in this life, it's been replaced by such a pointless wish.
But as Vegeta thought about it, he realized it actually made sense.
In this life, the ones who had appeared on Beerus's planet were himself and Frieza. Beerus hadn't been to Earth yet, so he didn't know how delicious Earth's food was.
To Beerus, the greatest delicacy was these Cold-Cold Bird eggs from Universe 6. It was no wonder he was so obsessed with them.
"Mr. Goku, we had an agreement earlier. Once the tournament was over, we'd go to your house for a proper meal," Whis turned to Goku with a smile. "I've been quite looking forward to Mrs. Chi-Chi's cooking."
"No problem! Chi-Chi was already starting to prepare before we left. She said she was going to make a huge feast for us," Goku nodded and agreed readily, a look of anticipation on his face.
"Very well. We'll head to Earth now," Whis smiled, then turned to Beerus. "What about you, Lord Beerus? Will you join us to sample Mrs. Chi-Chi's skills?"
"Is Chi-Chi your wife?" Beerus asked, squinting at Goku as his tail flicked behind him.
"Yeah," Goku nodded, not understanding why Beerus was suddenly asking.
"How's her cooking?" Beerus asked, his tone a bit picky.
"I think it's great! Whis says so too," Goku said, his eyes lighting up at the mention of Chi-Chi's food.
"Fine then. Have her prepare these bird eggs for me. It'll give you all a chance to taste what real gourmet food is like," Beerus grinned, lifting the box of eggs with a look of pride.
"Sure thing... they should be easy to cook, right? Just heat them up or boil them, and I bet they'll taste great." Goku poked one of the eggs again; the shell was hard and cold.
"Don't touch them! What if you break one? I went through a lot of trouble to get these!" Beerus barked, pulling the box into a protective hug like it was his most precious treasure.
Whoosh!
The Cube transformed into a streak of light, trailing a long plume of fire as it sped toward Earth. The stars around them blurred into streaks of dust as they were left behind.
The journey was quiet, with no one speaking inside the Cube.
Beerus suddenly glanced at Goku, his gaze carrying a meaningful look, as if he were plotting something.
Goku blinked, feeling a bit uncomfortable under the stare. He scratched his cheek, unable to fathom why Beerus was looking at him that way.
"Hey, kid. What are your plans after this? You can't just stay on Earth forever, can you?" Beerus asked with a smile, his tone clearly leading.
"I'm going to train hard, of course! I want to master the true Ultra Instinct as soon as possible so I can get even stronger," Goku answered, his eyes sparkling with the desire for power.
"How about it? Interested in coming with me to pick some fights? I guarantee you'll have the time of your life," Beerus's grin grew even wider, his tail wagging excitedly.
"Pick some fights?" Goku blinked, his eyes instantly lighting up. He leaned forward instinctively.
"I'll take you to spar with some other powerful Gods of Destruction," Beerus smiled, continuing his persuasion. "At your current level, you really should have a proper match with another Destroyer. How else are you going to improve?"
"Really? I can really fight other Gods of Destruction?" Goku was hooked. His breathing quickened, and his hands clenched into tight fists.
Beerus gave Whis a "told-you-so" look, as if saying, See? I knew he'd agree.
This kid really does love to fight. He's a total battle-maniac. He's so easy to manipulate.
To be continued…
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