"Vados, are you sure you're understanding this right?" Champa's face darkened. "You call that a punishment?"
"Oh my, is Champa-sama questioning the Grand Priest's decision?" Vados smiled pleasantly.
Champa shivered again and slapped a hand over his own mouth.
"I misspoke, I misspoke," he hurried to explain, then lowered his voice. "But seriously, Vados… that's all the Grand Priest did to 'punish' them?"
"What else should he have done? In the end, those two Gods of Destruction were the ones who picked a fight with Ken and Broly first," Vados said calmly.
"So that means… from now on, the Gods of Destruction for Universe 9 and Universe 3 will be Broly and Buu, right?" Champa muttered.
"More or less," Vados nodded.
"T-the Realm of the Gods is going to turn upside down…" Champa stared up at the sky, clenching his fists. "And Beerus is still snoring through all of this!"
…
Universe 11.
Seeing such a large group appear in front of his home, Jiren blinked for a moment, then walked over to greet them.
"Jiren, long time no see. How's that book I gave you?" Merus asked with a warm smile.
"I've finished it. I've got a detailed grasp on the Supreme Kai's duties now," Jiren nodded seriously, then asked curiously, "Merus-sama… what brings you all here?"
"It's nothing too dramatic. These two are Ken's newly trained Gods of Destruction candidates. Under our agreement, they only qualify to take office if they can defeat you," Merus explained.
Jiren: "???"
"Hold on… them taking office in their own universes—what does that have to do with me?" Jiren felt his whole sense of reality wobble.
If they want to go be Gods of Destruction, they can just go.
Why drag me into it?
"Because you're the strongest mortal in all universes," Merus said. "Only someone who defeats the strongest mortal is worthy of being a God of Destruction."
"Fine… I do see it that way myself," Jiren admitted, finding that bit at least somewhat pleasing.
"To keep this test fair and impartial, Bardock and Ai will challenge you together. The only condition is that all of you must fight in peak condition," Merus said with a smile, then leaned in and lowered his voice. "You'd better give it everything you've got."
"I know. I'm still very confident in my strength," Jiren nodded, his expression proud.
"Well then, Ken—once you're ready, we can begin," Merus said, turning to Ken. "I'll restore Jiren to optimal condition."
"No need to touch my side. Let them fight Jiren as they are. It'll temper them better," Ken waved him off, making no move to restore Bardock or Ai.
He then called Bardock and Ai over to one side and quietly briefed them.
Merus likewise pulled Jiren aside and gave him his own instructions.
"Jiren, don't underestimate them—especially that woman called Ai. There's something off about her," Merus murmured. "I wanted to scan her myself, but she's a lady… that would have been rude. So I don't actually have a clear read on her power. You can't afford to let your guard down."
"Understood. I'm still very confident in my strength," Jiren nodded, unconcerned.
But then his shoulders stiffened a little.
"Is something else bothering you?" Merus asked.
"Ken-sama… he's not going to interfere, is he?" Jiren asked. Last time, Ken had left him with a lingering psychological shadow.
"No. We agreed this is a fair and impartial match," Merus said with a smile. "You can relax about that."
Jiren: "…"
"Fair and impartial, but it's two-on-one?" Jiren honestly didn't know what to say.
"Well, you are the strongest mortal…" Merus tried to justify it, but even he didn't sound convinced.
"It's fine. Since I'm the strongest mortal, taking on two at once isn't a big deal," Jiren said, still confident. "Besides, after more than twenty years of training, my strength has grown tremendously."
"That's good," Merus nodded.
"But… speaking of changes, Lord Ken looks completely different now. Has he become a true angel?" Jiren asked.
"Yes. He has completely transformed into a true angel," Merus replied.
"A mortal who actually trained himself into an angel…" Jiren looked at Ken with a deep, wary gaze.
On the other side, Ken was also giving Bardock and Ai their instructions.
"Ai, this is your first real battle. Go easy. If you accidentally kill him, I'll have to rewind time to bring him back," Ken stressed to her in particular.
"Okay," Ai nodded seriously.
"In a bit, Bardock, you just stand on the sidelines and watch," Ken said to him. "Let Ai handle the fighting."
Bardock: "…"
So I came all this way just to be background scenery?
"I understand," Bardock didn't argue.
As long as he could become a God of Destruction, reunite with his reincarnated wife, and find Kakarot and Raditz… that would be enough.
"Oh good, another fight to watch," Buu said, grinning wide.
Broly stayed silent, his expression calm.
"Broly, aren't you going to cheer for me?" Ai leaned in, tilting her head with a smile.
"G-go… good luck…" Broly muttered, face flushing as he managed to cheer her on.
"Then I'm off," Ai said, pumping her metal fist.
Ai and Bardock walked out to stand side by side.
Jiren had also finished his preparations.
They chose a wide, open stretch of land.
The battle was about to begin.
"Match, start!" Merus shouted.
The moment his words fell, purple-red flames erupted from Ai's body.
Sensing the power radiating from her, Merus's face instantly turned grim.
"Level 50…" he blurted.
"Whoosh!"
Ai flashed forward, charging straight at Jiren.
Jiren didn't dare relax for an instant. His aura exploded, pushing his power up to its maximum.
Merus felt like crying. He almost couldn't bear to keep watching.
Because he knew exactly how big the gap was between Jiren and Ai's levels.
Twenty-four years ago, Jiren's level had peaked at 29.
Level 29 was already the theoretical limit for human beings.
Over the past twenty-four years, even as he studied the Supreme Kai's duties, Jiren never slacked in his training.
After tremendous effort, he finally shattered the barrier of level 29 and broke through to 30.
It didn't look like much of a leap, but for Jiren it was a massive step forward.
How big was the gap between 29 and 30?
Level 29 was equivalent to mastering the first state of Ultra Instinct to its absolute limit.
Level 30 was stepping into full Ultra Instinct—the silver-haired form.
So now, Jiren had finally reached the power of silver-haired Ultra Instinct.
Of course, only the initial stage.
And what level was Ai?
Ai was rebuilt using the God of Destruction Mosco's body, giving her innate power.
Her level had already reached 50.
Advancing beyond that would be incredibly difficult for her.
You could say she barely had any room left to grow. Even gaining just one level would be a miracle.
The moment she changed bodies, she spawned right at the peak.
Who was supposed to compete with that?
"Whoosh!"
Ai shot forward and drove her fist squarely into Jiren's chest.
"Pff—"
Jiren spat a large mouthful of blood and slumped forward against Ai.
Ai quickly braced him with her hands, making sure his body didn't press too close to hers.
Then she gently laid him flat on the ground.
Jiren collapsed face-first into the dirt and passed out cold.
"Did I hit him too hard?" Ai scratched her head, a bit embarrassed.
Merus: "…"
This was beyond tragic.
Jiren, taken down in a single punch.
Merus snapped out of his shock quickly.
"I get it now. Ai was rebuilt from Mosco's parts," Merus said, eyes gleaming as understanding dawned.
How shameless.
You brought an actual God of Destruction here to fight Jiren.
You're the most shameless angel alive.
And how did the Grand Priest agree to such an outrageous arrangement?
Did he not know about any of this?
Wasn't he supposed to see everything?
How did this one slip past him?
"Rebuilt from Mosco, huh…" Buu nodded thoughtfully.
No wonder she's so strong.
What a waste, though. That armor can't turn into chocolate.
I really wanted a God of Destruction chocolate…
Crunchy.
I wonder if angel chocolate tastes any good.
Buu stole a sidelong glance at Merus, his eyes burning with hunger.
But as soon as he noticed the staff in Merus's hand, all that heat instantly went cold.
That guy is trouble.
That stick of his hurts way too much.
I'd better not even think about it.
Otherwise I'm going to get cracked open…
Broly also felt something stir inside. The way he looked at Ai grew a bit more complicated.
"Quit spacing out and heal Jiren, or we'll have to go drag him back from King Yemma's place," Ken said, patting Merus on the shoulder.
Merus trudged forward with tears in his eyes. The staff in his hand glowed with angelic power that washed over Jiren.
Jiren soon recovered and pushed himself up off the ground. The instant he saw Ai, his mouth twitched.
So strong.
I never stood a chance at all.
"Do we really need to continue?" Ken asked Merus with a smile.
"No. We've already lost," Merus shook his head.
"In that case, per our agreement, I'll take these two to Universe 3 and Universe 9 to assume the duties of Gods of Destruction," Ken said.
"I won't be coming along," Merus replied with a nod.
"Jiren, keep it up. Losing once or twice is no big deal," Ken said, stepping forward to offer a bit of comfort.
Jiren said nothing.
"When you get used to losing, you'll find it doesn't really bother you anymore," Ken added.
That line hit Jiren right in the chest.
"I won't lose! That was just a fluke just now! In the Supreme Kai trials, there's no way I'll lose to your Supreme Kai!" Jiren growled, clenching his fists.
"Good. I like your spirit," Ken said, patting him on the shoulder before turning away.
Jiren stayed silent.
That was his last bit of pride.
He absolutely could not lose to Ken's Supreme Kai.
"But honestly, Merus," Ken went on, "any one of my current Gods of Destruction could beat your hidden candidate, right?" He pointed at the four nearby—Broly and Buu among them.
Merus: "…"
He looked deeply at Majin Buu.
What was he supposed to say to that?
Since when did Buu become your God of Destruction candidate?
I'm the one who found him.
I'm the one who raised him.
But when Buu noticed his gaze, he just snorted, turned his head aside and refused to even look at him.
Now it was Merus's turn to feel that stab in his heart.
You fat lump… after everything I've done for you, this is how you act?
"You did say you'd train Vegeta…" Merus said stubbornly.
"Sure, then we'll go with Vegeta," Ken nodded with a smile. "Right now, if I sent any of my guys to challenge your new God of Destruction, it'd just be bullying. So let's let Vegeta close the gap first."
"Vegeta will never surpass my new God of Destruction," Merus said, taking a deep breath, confidence written all over his face.
"Good luck," Ken replied casually, then turned to leave.
Just before departure, Merus tugged at Buu's clothes.
Buu glanced sideways at him.
"Buu, are you sure you want to follow Ken?" Merus asked, unwilling to let go.
"I'm not following Ken. I'm following Broly. He's the one I like, not you," Buu said, sounding extremely justified.
Merus felt his heart break all over again.
The God of Destruction candidate he'd worked so hard to develop had just been snatched away by Ken.
No—that wasn't quite right.
Broly had stolen him.
But whether Broly took him or Ken took him, it didn't really change the result.
The problem was, Broly was too reliable.
What a miserable situation.
No, I have to pour everything into raising my new God of Destruction.
I spent ages finding the perfect person.
And that person has deep ties to Broly…
If Ken can bring Broly this far, there's no way my God of Destruction won't reach that level too.
Plus, Ken's next trainees are Goku and Vegeta.
There's no way Goku surpasses Jiren, right?
And no way Vegeta surpasses my candidate.
Those two can't possibly compare to the one I picked.
Merus's expression grew firm and confident. His resolve solidified.
"Whoosh!"
Ken took his leave of Merus. Using the flying cube, he carried Broly, Buu, Bardock and Ai up into the sky.
"You know, you really don't need to train both Vegeta and Goku. With what you already have, you've long since outpaced Merus," Amarella sighed softly.
"I like high difficulty," Ken replied with a grin.
"All right then. I hope you succeed," Amarella said, offering no further comment.
"It's not about hope. I will succeed," Ken chuckled. "Give me a few years and I'll have Goku and Vegeta at terrifying levels. At the very least, surpassing Jiren won't be a problem."
"But how many years will that take?" Amarella raised a brow.
"There's no rush. Just watch," Ken said, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint smile.
…
Ken headed to Universe 9 first.
"Whoosh!"
He and his group descended in Universe 9's God of Destruction Realm.
The moment he arrived, Ken could clearly feel that this Realm of the Gods was rundown and decaying.
It also felt worryingly fragile—about as brittle as Earth.
Even the Supreme Kai Realm was supposed to be much tougher than Earth.
Just look at how Goku and Buu's brutal fight in the original story had failed to destroy the Supreme Kai's planet.
That alone said a lot.
A God of Destruction Realm should be far sturdier than that.
Yet now, when Ken lightly tapped his staff against the ground, the planet almost split in two.
"This is normal. Without a God of Destruction, the Realm's structural integrity gradually weakens. It's been twenty-four years now, so this planet's toughness is about the same as Earth's," Amarella said, brushing a hand through her hair. "Once a new God of Destruction takes office, the Realm will slowly recover its former durability."
"What's the angel of Universe 9 called again?" Ken asked.
"Mojito," Amarella answered.
"Where'd he go? I heard that when a God of Destruction dies, the corresponding angel falls into a slumber. Is that really how it works?" Ken asked.
"Yes. They do fall asleep—but the main purpose is to maintain the universe's lifeforce," Amarella explained. "Only in that state can an angel most efficiently sustain the universe. If they leave the God of Destruction Realm for long, it would cause tremendous damage to the entire universe."
"So what happens to an angel if the universe itself disappears?" Ken pressed.
"Nothing special. They end up like you—an angel without a home universe," Amarella said.
"So in a way, having a universe is actually a shackle on an angel?" Ken mused.
"No, that's not it," Amarella shook her head. "An angel with a universe can refine their angel power more efficiently. You could call that 'training.' It speeds up their cultivation."
Ken nodded thoughtfully.
"You've already transformed into a true angel. Haven't you noticed how incredibly hard it is to gain even one more level now?" Amarella smiled at the tiny Ken projected beside her.
"Haven't felt that at all," Ken said, shaking his head.
Amarella blinked.
"My angel power's been automatically refining itself this whole time. You really can't feel it from inside my body?" Ken asked.
She hadn't been paying attention to that. Now that she focused, she realized his angel power was indeed purifying itself at a surprising rate.
Before, his angel-power purity had reached 58.
In just a few days, it had already risen to 58.5.
Half a point in that short a time was terrifyingly fast.
"How… is that possible?" Amarella's long lashes trembled over her bright eyes.
"Beat me. Maybe I'm just a prodigy," Ken laughed.
Amarella stayed quiet.
"Enough about that. How do we actually make Bardock a God of Destruction?" Ken asked.
He'd already made up his mind: Bardock would be Universe 9's God of Destruction, and Ai would take over Universe 3.
"So where's Mojito?" Ken asked, turning his gaze around the Realm.
He quickly sensed a faint angelic presence not far away.
Flying over, he found Mojito already in a deep sleep, standing like a statue at the very center of the Realm.
Mojito's right hand gripped his staff tightly, raised high above his head.
"Nice pose," Ken said after studying him for a moment.
"That posture helps him radiate angel power and maintain the universe's lifeforce," Amarella explained.
Aside from Broly, who'd been to a God of Destruction Realm before, none of the others—including Buu—had ever seen one. They all hovered nearby, quietly observing this strange planet.
When they saw the "angel statue" standing before Ken, they flew over as well, circling Mojito.
Buu smacked his lips and licked them.
"Turn into chocolate!" A purple bolt crackled from the antenna on his head and smashed into Mojito.
Ken: "…"
Broly: "…"
Amarella: "…"
Bardock: "???"
Ai: "???"
The purple lightning spread over Mojito's body, making his entire form flicker briefly.
And then… nothing.
If this were a video game, Ken was sure the word "IMMUNE" would be flashing over Mojito's head right now.
"Do sleeping angels also ignore every attack?" Ken asked Amarella.
"Yes. Same as when you were transforming," she nodded.
Buu: "…"
He scratched his head furiously.
Not being able to eat the chocolate he wanted left him feeling oddly empty inside.
What a pity. Ready-made chocolate, and he couldn't even take a bite…
Mojito: "…"
How is this polite behavior?
I'm not going to forget you, fatso.
Just because he looked like a statue didn't mean he didn't know what was going on.
Mojito's situation was just like Ken's had been during his own transformation—his body might look inert, but his mind was fully awake.
"Smack!"
Suddenly, Mojito's eyes opened, and he moved.
"Bonk!"
His staff came down hard on Majin Buu's head.
Angel strikes were essentially spiritual in nature. Buu had no defense against that. His regeneration didn't help at all.
In an instant, a massive bump swelled up on Buu's forehead.
He clutched at it, howling in pain.
"Oh my, Ken-sama. You've arrived with the new God of Destruction already. You really kept me waiting," Mojito said with feeling.
"You mean you've been looking forward to this for ages. 'Kept you waiting' is what I'm supposed to say," Ken corrected him earnestly.
Mojito decided not to argue.
He'd heard the stories about this kid being a born contrarian.
Now that they'd met, it was clearly true.
"So, who are you planning to appoint as Universe 9's new God of Destruction?" Mojito asked with a smile.
"Take your pick," Ken said generously, pointing at the four of them. "Let me introduce them properly. This is Broly, the one you just whacked is Buu, and these two are Bardock and Ai."
Buu: "…"
"I can pick freely?" Mojito's eyes lit up, the blue ring floating at his neck glowing brighter with excitement.
"Yeah. Anyone you like," Ken nodded. "Given how the old God of Destruction died, I do feel a bit responsible."
"As expected of Ken-sama. So generous—bringing four candidates to choose from all at once," Mojito said, thrilled, his gaze sweeping over each in turn.
The moment his eyes landed on Buu, though, he immediately skipped past him.
Letting that glutton be God of Destruction… Universe 9 would never know peace again.
"He wants to pick me… well, I refuse!" Buu shouted.
Mojito: "…"
I wasn't even looking at you.
Who said I wanted to pick you?
"I choose Mr. Broly," Mojito declared after taking a deep breath.
From now on, Universe 9's God of Destruction might very well become the strongest of them all.
Ken said nothing, just watched Mojito with a squint-eyed smile.
You've got good taste.
Think you're Kusu or Marcarita now?
Got the face for that?
Stealing my Broly?
Mojito: "???"
He could clearly feel the displeasure in Ken's gaze. He coughed awkwardly, then hurriedly looked over Bardock and Ai again before saying, "Ah… perhaps I'll change my mind."
This time, his eyes settled on Ai.
This female robot was clearly an excellent option too.
Bardock: "…"
I feel so invisible right now.
He'd passed over me twice already.
Then again, it made sense. That woman was terrifying.
She'd flattened that Jiren guy with one punch.
"Ai was rebuilt from Mosco. Wouldn't it make more sense to send her to Universe 3?" Ken asked with a smile.
Mojito: "…"
Looking more closely, he saw it too—this female robot's body was made from Mosco's parts.
Refined from pure universe essence into a hyper-intelligent machine.
Universe 3's God of Destruction had already been that kind of automaton. Putting Ai in that role now…
It really did fit.
So Mojito's gaze finally settled on Bardock.
Looked like he didn't have much of a choice.
As he thought about it, he suddenly realized something was off.
Had Ken really meant "pick whoever you want"?
Or had everything been decided from the start?
His heart went a little numb.
It was like going out to eat with someone who insists, "Order whatever you like."
You suggest shredded spicy potatoes, and your host says the three-delicacy stir-fry is better.
You suggest braised ribs, and he recommends sweet-and-sour fish instead.
Ken right now was acting exactly like that kind of host.
Says you can pick whoever you want, but the choice is already locked in.
"Don't pick me, I don't want to leave Broly!" Buu panicked and latched onto Broly's arm.
Ai's heart wavered a little too.
I don't want to leave Broly either.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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