"Omni-King's friend? Nonsense!"
"How could a mere mortal possibly have any connection to the exalted Omni-King?!"
"For Universe 7 to spin such a ridiculous tale is laughable."
"Empty boasting, that's all it is."
"Omni-King, please don't be angered by their lies…"
The gods fumed, their gazes sweeping back and forth between Goku and Levos.
They treated Levos's claim as nothing more than an outrageous fabrication.
Only the Grand Priest looked genuinely surprised.
"So… something like that actually happened in another timeline…"
Then Universe 9's Supreme Kai, Roh, suddenly laughed, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Such a lie wouldn't fool anyone."
He jabbed a finger toward Goku and snapped,
"In the eyes of the gods, humans are nothing but lowly ants, completely insignificant!"
"To dare use the word 'friend' and drag the Omni-King down to their level Universe 7 deserves to be erased!"
Goku frowned.
Even Beerus's expression darkened.
Levos sneered and was about to elaborate on the events of the other timeline
but Vados beat him to it.
She turned to Supreme Kai Roh with a pleasant smile.
"Lord Supreme Kai, your words are awfully unpleasant. Am I to understand that you're questioning the Omni-King's judgment?"
The moment Vados spoke, the hall fell dead silent.
No one dared answer.
Supreme Kai Roh snorted.
"Of course the Omni-King is the greatest and most exalted existence. But we cannot allow mortals to run their mouths here unchecked. After all "
"Be quiet."
A calm voice drifted down from the throne.
Thud.
Roh's body hit the floor as if his strings had been cut, his forehead pressed flat to the ground, trembling like a leaf.
Zeno quietly turned toward Goku, his expression full of curiosity.
Goku stared right back at him.
The two of them, big eyes and little eyes, stared at each other for quite a while.
Then
Zeno jumped off the throne, hands folded behind his back, and walked up to Goku.
"So, what's your name?"
"Son Goku."
Goku dipped his head slightly and slowly reached out a hand toward the tiny figure in front of him.
He actually wants to shake the Omni-King's hand?!
Every god's expression twisted into something truly spectacular.
The two Zeno guards standing in Goku's way frowned, cold light flashing in their eyes.
"Stand down."
At that calmly spoken command, their faces changed instantly, and they stepped back in unison.
Zeno studied Goku's outstretched hand for a moment, then looked up at him again.
"Mm…"
He hummed softly, then very naturally reached out and grabbed Goku's hand.
The gods were stunned.
Goku chuckled and gently tightened his grip.
Zeno's small body lifted right off the floor.
"What?!"
"How dare you!"
The gods and the guards exploded with outrage; Beerus nearly fainted on the spot.
"It's fine."
Zeno slipped his hand free and dropped back down, continuing to stare at Goku.
"You're pretty interesting."
"Eh?" Goku scratched his head.
"Let me tell you," Zeno went on, "I've always wanted to make a friend."
The gods were dumbstruck.
Was this absurd thing really about to happen right in front of them?
"Mr. Son Goku," Zeno asked, his small face full of hope, "would you like to be my friend?"
"Well…"
Goku suddenly looked troubled.
"You idiot! What's there to hesitate about?! Say yes already!"
Beerus was losing his mind inside, roaring in his heart.
"Being friends is fine," Goku said seriously, "but, uh… could you not erase our universe, Omni-King?"
Beerus was about to go insane.
This guy actually dared to haggle with the Omni-King to his face?!
He really didn't know how good he had it.
"Sure," Zeno answered easily.
Everyone present blanked out for a moment.
Beerus was dumbfounded.
"Th-that's it? He changed his mind… that easily?"
His emotions had just ridden through a full roller coaster. Even now he could hardly believe it. Only after a long breath did he finally feel his heart settle.
Even Levos froze for a second. He hadn't expected things to go this smoothly.
With the Omni-King as his backing, wouldn't Goku be able to walk sideways across all twelve universes from now on?
And Universe 7's crisis would be resolved in one stroke.
So what if Fused Zamasu had merged with the Supreme Kai Realm itself?
Zeno could erase it all with a twitch of his finger.
Those outfits like the Heeter organization, the Saiyan Empire, the Machine Cooler Army… any villainous force, really Zeno could make them vanish with a snap.
At this rate, there might not even be any need for a Tournament of Power.
Thinking of this, Levos was almost moved to tears.
It hadn't been easy!
All his efforts hadn't been in vain after so much calamity, Earth might finally have peace.
A smile broke across Goku's face as well.
"That's awesome. Thank you, Omni-King."
"Mm!" Zeno nodded hard. "Then we're friends now, Mr. Son Goku!"
"Okay!" Goku agreed, then grinned. "Just call me Goku."
"Goku?" Zeno blinked, then eagerly asked, "Then… what will you call me?"
"Uh… let me think…"
Goku fell into serious thought, and Levos, watching from beside him, could barely hold back his laughter.
He waited, very much looking forward to the expressions on the gods' faces.
"Oh, I've got it!" Goku smacked his forehead. "How about… Ah-Zen?"
Boom.
Every god felt like their brain had exploded. It was like the sky caving in, their souls crushed under the impact.
A-Ah-Zen?!
That kind of nickname was something you only used between people who were very close something only the most familiar of friends would dare to say.
Goku and the Omni-King had literally just met. They were nowhere near that kind of intimacy.
And in any case, you never used that sort of address for someone above you.
Using it on the Omni-King, the ruler of all twelve universes, was completely insane.
Beerus and the others stared in blank shock, too scared to even breathe, terrified that the slightest trace of displeasure from Zeno would mean all universes erased on the spot.
Even the angels were exchanging looks, their faces full of surprise.
Amid the tension, Levos suddenly heard a stifled chuckle.
He followed the sound and saw that it had come from the Grand Priest.
Unfortunately, the moment came and went in a flash. Before Levos could be sure, the Grand Priest's expression had already returned to its usual calm.
He almost wondered if he'd imagined it.
The hall went so quiet that a pin dropping would have been deafening.
Everyone held their breath, watching Zeno's reaction.
Zeno blinked once, then beamed.
"Ah-Zen? I like it!"
In that instant, everyone understood:
Between the Omni-King and this human named Son Goku, a truly extraordinary relationship had just been forged.
Beerus finally exhaled in relief. The other gods' hearts, which had been hanging in their throats, slowly dropped back into place.
"We're saved," Supreme Kai Shin murmured from the floor. "In the end, the Omni-King really isn't as terrifying as the rumors say…"
Goku laughed cheerfully.
"Ah-Zen, you're a really good guy!"
Zeno's smile was as pure and bright as a child's.
"By the way, Goku," he said, "I still need to erase a universe."
"W-what?!"
Goku's grin froze on his face.
The gods' hearts shot right back up again.
Zeno's gaze shifted to the Grand Priest.
"Grand Priest, which universe do you think I should erase next?"
From the look of it, the plan to erase two universes was something Zeno and the Grand Priest had already decided in advance.
"The Sixth Universe," the Grand Priest said calmly.
Champa's face went sheet-white.
He had no idea why Universe 6 suddenly got dragged into this, but one thing was certain: he was now teetering on the brink of life and death.
Beerus glanced over at him, his expression complicated.
The gods of the other universes all let out big sighs of relief.
Levos was speechless.
Universes 6 and 7 really were a pair of hard-luck brothers.
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