"Alright."
Beerus held up a single index finger, and a sliver of purple light bloomed at its tip.
Crack!
This wisp of power seeped into the cosmos, causing a small-scale collapse of spacetime. From this alone, one could tell how immensely powerful its wielder was.
"Go!"
Beerus flicked his finger, and the purple light descended into the desolate planet beside them.
Voom!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a sprinkle of purple starlight. And just like that, the barren planet vanished.
"Whew!" Beerus took a deep breath and turned his head. "Are there any more planets to destroy?"
"Although there is a large batch of planets on the verge of being unqualified, for now, all the necessary destruction has been completed."
"Good." Beerus rolled his neck. After rushing about for the past six months, he was feeling a bit tired.
"Ohohoho~" Whis chuckled. "I've never seen you so serious, Lord Beerus. Why the sudden diligence?"
Beerus retorted irritably, "None of your business!"
"Hehe, I know the reason even if you don't tell me."
"Oh? Do tell."
"It's because of that boy, Gran, isn't it?" Whis snickered, covering his mouth.
"..." Beerus clenched his fists and said flatly, "Whis, you can be really annoying sometimes."
Whis ignored his murderous glare and laughed. "Ohohoho~ If I'm not mistaken, the reason Lord Beerus is working so hard is that you're afraid of being erased by Lord Zeno! If you were to die, Gran would inherit your position, and as a God of Destruction, he would gain that weakness. I never thought Lord Beerus could be so sentimental!"
"..." Beerus opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing.
"However..." Whis glanced at Beerus before shifting his gaze to the cosmos, speaking as if to himself. "That boy Gran's talent is truly terrifying. His personality is good, too, completely unlike those Saiyans who only know how to kill. Most importantly, he knows how to cook. The food he makes is truly the most delicious in the entire universe! He's sturdy and adorable, and he's a pleasant talker. It's quite fun to be around a little fellow like him."
"Speaking of which..." At this, Whis looked back at Beerus and smiled. "Lord Beerus, you two have become so close, it's no wonder you're thinking on his behalf!"
Beerus, as if he hadn't heard a word, just pursed his lips. "Let's go."
"Lord Beerus, are we heading back now?" Whis, having had his fun, stopped teasing him.
"No. We're going to visit Frieza."
"Very well."
Whis didn't ask for a reason. He tapped his staff, and he and Beerus vanished from the spot in a streak of light.
Meanwhile, in the distant World of the Supreme Kais.
"Damn it, who is doing this?!" Supreme Kai Shin sensed another planet being destroyed, and his face flushed with anger.
Kibito, beside him, asked anxiously, "Lord Supreme Kai, should we continue to pursue that person?"
"Pursue? How? Every time we arrive, they're already gone!" Shin gritted his teeth. "To destroy over twenty thousand planets in just six months... how deranged and vicious can one be?!"
Over twenty thousand planets! How long would it take for him to create enough new ones to make up for this loss?! That person deserves to die!
...As he was travelling to Frieza's headquarters, Beerus suddenly sneezed.
"Lord Supreme Kai, could it be Majin Buu?"
"It's not him. Although Majin Buu's power is terrifying and evil, if we were to find a trace of him, there's no way he could outrun us."
"Lord Supreme Kai, what should we do now?"
"What else can we do? We have to go and create new planets to replace the ones that were lost!" Shin roared hysterically.
With that, the two vanished from the World of the Supreme Kais.
Whis carried Beerus as they zipped through the cosmos. Beerus was still unaware of the events in the World of the Supreme Kais. If he knew that the useless planets he had worked so hard to destroy were going to be recreated, the look on his face would surely be priceless.
Twenty seconds later.
The two entered the North Galaxy. The moment they did, on North Kai's planet, North Kai himself broke out in a cold sweat. However, seeing that the two deities had no intention of visiting him, the short Kai began to relax.
But in the next second, his expression changed drastically. "Lord Beerus is heading to Frieza's headquarters?"
Meanwhile, in a palace at Frieza's headquarters.
Frieza was sitting in his hover pod when the corner of his eye began to twitch violently, as if something terrible was about to happen.
"Did I not rest well?" Frieza frowned, muttering to himself.
Suddenly!
"Frieza."
A cold voice echoed through the palace.
"Who's there? Who dares to speak my name with such disrespect?!" Accustomed to his lofty position, Frieza snapped instinctively.
"Emperor? The Emperor of the Universe?" Beerus and Whis stood in the centre of the hall. "You've got quite the nerve, Frieza," Beerus said coldly.
???
That voice!!! It's so familiar!!!
Frieza slowly looked down.
Hiss!!!!
A chill shot straight to the depths of his soul. Frieza began to tremble uncontrollably. He leapt out of his hover pod and bowed a full 90 degrees. "I-I was not aware of the arrival of the most esteemed God of Destruction in the universe! Please forgive my discourtesy!"
Damn it! Isn't Beerus supposed to be asleep? Why is he awake again?
Beerus said nothing. He walked step-by-step toward the throne at the head of the hall, with Whis following closely behind. Frieza, of course, saw what Beerus was doing—he was going to sit on his throne. But how could Frieza dare to object? After all, this being was the true "Emperor of the Universe."
Beerus sat on the throne, crossed his legs, and said calmly, "I told you to destroy all the Saiyans. Did you do it?"
Whis glanced at Beerus, surprised that this was his purpose for coming here.
"Well..." Frieza, still bowed low, felt his face turn deathly pale. What did those Saiyan monkeys ever do to deserve this? Why would the most powerful being in the universe come here for their sake?!
"Answer me!" Beerus's voice suddenly deepened. The killing intent radiating from him caused the entire palace to shake.
"I... I did not!" Frieza looked up, trying to explain.
Suddenly!
BOOM—!
An unparalleled pressure slammed down on him, crushing him to the floor.
"Pfft!!!"
Frieza coughed up a mouthful of blood. He clenched his fists tightly, an endless murderous intent hidden in the depths of his eyes.
Damn you, Beerus!!!!
"Frieza, I heard you spared many Saiyans. And that Vegeta is still alive, correct?"
"Yes!" Frieza snarled, still pressed to the floor, grinding his teeth.
Beerus vanished from the throne and reappeared beside Frieza. He planted his foot on Frieza's head and said coldly, "You dare to defy my orders. Are you tired of living?"
CRACK!!!
The divine pressure at such close range shattered every bone in Frieza's body. He coughed up another mouthful of blood.
"I... I was wrong! Please, Lord Beerus, spare my life!"
The pressure on his head intensified. Just as Frieza thought his skull was about to be crushed, Beerus suddenly lifted his foot. He reappeared on the throne and said without emotion, "This is your punishment for defying my orders. However, you did the right thing by sparing the remaining Saiyans. Whis!"
At his word, Whis waved his staff. A silver light enveloped Frieza, and his injuries healed in an instant.
"I'm... I'm not dead?" Frieza gasped for air. While he was relieved to be alive, he was utterly confused by Beerus's actions. Just seconds ago, he wanted to kill me. Why did he spare me?
Seeing Frieza's bewildered expression, the corner of Whis's mouth twitched. Beerus spared you because you spared Gran's life back then.
"Th-thank you, Lord Beerus, for sparing my life!" Although confused, Frieza scrambled to his feet to express his gratitude and quickly tried to explain himself. "Lord Beerus, the reason I spared some of the Saiyans was that I planned to squeeze every last bit of value out of them before eliminating them!"
"..."
"Lord Beerus, I am truly sorry for defying your command. I will go and annihilate all remaining Saiyans at once!"
"Enough!" Beerus's face grew darker. Damn it, is this guy incapable of understanding simple words? Didn't I say he did the right thing by sparing them?
Hearing Beerus's shout, Frieza couldn't help but tremble again.
"I'm warning you, leave the remaining Saiyans alone. If you touch them, you die," Beerus's tone was ice-cold.
"Yes!" Frieza was terrified and quickly lowered his head.
"Whis, let's go."
As Beerus and Whis vanished, only Frieza remained in the palace. Half an hour passed. Convinced they were truly gone, Frieza instantly transformed.
"Aaaahhhh!!!"
"How dare you treat me like this! Aaaahhhh!!!"
Frieza unlocked his final form, unleashing his full power of 120 million!
Crackle!
Countless bolts of lightning wrapped around his body. The terrifying shockwave from his power-up caused the entire palace to crumble instantly!
BOOM—!
BOOM—!
The planet shook, and the countless members of the Frieza Force prostrated themselves on the ground. What kind of power is this? Lord Frieza is too terrifying!
In the centre of the palace ruins, having vented his rage, Frieza reverted to his small, two-horned form.
"Damn you..." Frieza wanted to curse Beerus, but the thought that a god of that level might hear him made him shut his mouth. "Damn it, according to his habits, shouldn't he be asleep? Why did this happen?! Defying his order was wrong, but sparing the Saiyans was right? Could it be that one of the remaining Saiyans met him and managed to quell his anger? Whom could it be?"
Frieza clenched his fists, his mind racing. After another half an hour, he still couldn't figure it out.
"Someone, investigate the whereabouts of the remaining Saiyans..." The words died on his lips. He had just been punished for disobeying Beerus. If he went against his command not to touch the Saiyans again, the consequence would likely be death.
"Damn it! Someone, rebuild my palace!"
"Yes, my lord!" Dodoria arrived with a crew to clear the ruins. He looked at his master's wretched state and couldn't help but complain internally. My lord wants to be a real estate mogul of the universe. What's so wrong with that? Why would someone treat him this way? That person deserves to die!
The God of Destruction's World.
A streak of light descended from the sky. Beerus and Whis had finally returned.
"Phew, finally back. These past six months have been exhausting!" The moment he arrived, Beerus flopped onto a beach chair by the lake.
"Ohohoho~~" Whis stood nearby, chuckling. "If Gran knew what you've been doing for the past six months, Lord Beerus, he would be very moved."
"Whis, do you ever realise how annoying you are sometimes?" Beerus turned his head and glared at him. "I'm warning you, don't you dare tell that kid about this, or I'll get serious with you!"
"You can't beat me, Lord Beerus, so I'm not afraid."
"You..." Beerus sat up straight, then slumped back into the chair in despair. What could he do? Whis was also his master, and he really couldn't beat him.
Seeing Beerus's defeated expression, Whis stopped teasing him. "I will obey Lord Beerus's command!" he said with a smile. No matter what, he was his God of Destruction; he had to humour him a little.
"Hmph, at least you know your place!" Beerus's gloomy mood lifted instantly. His emotional swings were like those of a child, which Whis found both exasperating and amusing. How did a 'child' like this become the Strongest God of Destruction? It's simply unfair!
"I've been working for half a year, I'm tired. Don't disturb me while I'm sleeping..." Beerus was about to close his eyes when he suddenly remembered something. "Wait, we've been back for a while now. Why haven't I seen that kid, Gran?"
Beerus shot up from the chair, his expression becoming extremely grave.
"Hmm, you're right!" Whis realised it too. He closed his eyes but couldn't sense Gran's small figure anywhere on the surface of the planet. He opened his eyes. "Lord Beerus, I can't find him!"
"Damn it, where did that kid go?!" Beerus's face was a mask of anxiety. That's the successor I worked so hard to find. Nothing could have happened to him, right?
It was a good thing Whis didn't know what Beerus was thinking, or he would have said, You found him? I'm the one who found him, thank you very much.
"Lord Beerus, don't worry. Let me look again!" Whis's expression also grew serious. This time, he waved his staff.
Voom!!!
An image appeared in the crystal ball at the top of his staff: an eight-year-old boy, wearing bulky clothes, was fighting a 20-meter-tall, sabre-toothed tiger-like beast.
"What!!!" Beerus's eyes widened. He recognised the place where Gran was.
"It's the Sumeru World!!"
The Sumeru World was the very world where Beerus had trained to control his own power. It had a harsh environment and was filled with countless giant beasts. Back then, it had taken Beerus a full year of fleeing for his life in that world to master his strength finally. And according to Whis, when Gran first arrived, he had spent only a month there to achieve the same feat.
But why did he go back in?
"Damn it, has that kid lost his mind? Doesn't he know that the world increases its danger level based on your strength?" Beerus stared at the image in the crystal ball, so angry he felt like his chest would explode. "Especially since he's wearing those weighted clothes, which severely suppress his power! In such a high-danger environment, how is he supposed to escape?!"
"Lord Beerus, no more talking! We have to go in and save him!"
Whis grabbed Beerus, and they vanished on the spot.