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Goku suddenly threw a punch, faster than lightning—but Beerus casually sidestepped it.
His fist smashed into the ground instead, kicking up a storm of dust and debris.
Goku panted heavily.
Beerus smirked. "Not bad. No wonder you managed to beat Frieza. But honestly? These moves of yours… at best, they'd only be enough to take him down."
Goku's eyes narrowed. "Don't count me out yet. I'll show you something stronger!"
He lunged again, but Beerus slipped away with ease. "Hmm, I was hoping for something exciting. Guess not. Let's go, Whis."
"Wait!" Goku called, desperate. "We haven't even finished yet!"
His aura flared violently, golden energy bursting outward, now streaked with crackling silver lightning.
"Let me show you—Super Saiyan Two!"
Beerus turned back, mildly amused. "Oh? Looks like you've pushed past your limits. You sure know how to change things up. Tell me… is this form connected to that 'Super Saiyan God' business?"
Whis tilted his head. "So this is Super Saiyan Two? Hm. Interesting. Maybe I'll hold off on eating for now."
Goku's confidence burned. "This time, it'll be different!"
He shot forward at blinding speed, but Beerus dodged with almost no effort.
Punch after punch followed, but none came close to landing. Not even a single hair on Beerus was touched.
King Kai looked on in dread. Goku darted around wildly, but Beerus remained untouchable.
Suddenly Goku called out, "Time out!"
"Lord Beerus, could you at least attack me? Just dodging doesn't really show your strength."
Beerus shrugged. "Sure. But only after you prove you're worth the trouble."
"What? Fine then," Goku growled. "No holding back this time! Get ready!"
He charged forward, fists flying, but each one struck nothing but empty air.
"Damn it, even Super Saiyan Two can't touch him! His skill is on a whole different level…"
The ground split and cratered under Goku's missed blows, but Beerus simply glanced over his shoulder.
"At this level? I don't even need to counterattack. But from the look of you, you're still hiding power, aren't you? Better bring it out. Otherwise, you'll never get to see what the God of Destruction can really do."
Goku froze, then grinned. "Well, since you put it like that… I'll oblige!"
He unleashed his energy, the entire planet shaking as golden light roared around him. His hair grew longer, golden strands flowing down past his waist. Silver lightning danced across his aura.
The battlefield was bathed in radiant gold. His features sharpened, his presence terrifying.
"This… is Super Saiyan Three!"
Beerus finally looked impressed. "Super Saiyan Three? Hmph. Compared to your last forms, that's quite the leap. Maybe you're not a complete fool after all."
Whis chuckled and picked up his meal. "Super Saiyan Three, huh? In that case, I'll go ahead and eat."
Goku, cloaked in golden light, called out, "Lord Beerus, we agreed—you'll fight me now, right?"
Beerus waved dismissively. "Not yet. You still haven't shown me your full strength."
The two of them soared into the sky.
"Fine," Goku shouted. "Then I'll let you see the true power of Super Saiyan Three!"
He rushed forward, fist cocked, but Beerus slipped aside as if he'd barely moved.
Goku swung from behind, but Beerus raised one hand and effortlessly blocked. The clash sent a terrifying shockwave blasting outward, tearing across the planet.
King Kai trembled. "Unbelievable… Goku's actually forcing Lord Beerus to block!"
Goku unleashed a flurry of strikes, Beerus still holding him off with just one hand. The winds of their battle stripped the planet's surface bare, every trace of grass blown away.
Roaring, Goku pulled back and cupped his hands, white-blue light blazing between them.
"Kame…hame…ha!"
The massive energy wave swallowed Beerus whole, detonating with a deafening blast.
When the smoke cleared, Beerus stood untouched, not even a speck of dust on his clothes.
Goku gasped. "You tanked all of that? Amazing!"
He darted forward again—then staggered back several steps without meaning to.
"What the—? My body… it just moved on its own."
Beerus grinned. "Impressive. I actually tried to hit you just now. If you hadn't reacted, you'd already be down. You can't even sense a god's ki, yet you avoided it instinctively. Seems you really are a battle genius. Tell me… are you hiding an even greater power? Something like… the power of a Super Saiyan God?"
...
Meanwhile, in the Other World…
Vegeta, slain by Frieza, trembled as he stared up at the vision playing in the sky. "Unbelievable… Lord Beerus himself! And Kakarot dares to challenge him?!"
Memories flooded back—his father, King Vegeta, bowing humbly before Beerus.
"Kakarot's grown this strong in the future… strong enough to actually trade blows with Lord Beerus? Could he really be… the Super Saiyan God?"
Elsewhere, the Grand Kai and the other Kais broke into a cold sweat.
"What the hell is North Kai thinking? One of his people actually dared raise a fist at Lord Beerus! Is he courageous… or just a fool?"
...
Back to the fight…
Goku's anger boiled over. "You're mocking me!"
He powered up again, aura raging, and shot at Beerus. The God dodged effortlessly, Goku's attacks cutting through empty space.
"What the hell? Why can't I land a hit? Wait… earlier, did he let me strike him on purpose?"
Gathering energy in his palms, Goku hurled a massive ki blast at Beerus.
Beerus vanished instantly. The blast tore through King Kai's planet, punching a hole clean through it.
"Too bad," a voice said calmly.
Goku spun around. Beerus was already behind him. He leapt back in alarm.
Beerus floated closer, expression casual. "Still, I have to admit, this has been pretty entertaining. As thanks, I'll teach you something. The God of Destruction… is a very scary thing."
He raised a single finger and flicked Goku on the forehead. The Saiyan had no time to react before he was sent flying.
In a blink, Beerus teleported behind him and struck with his palm.
Pain like Goku had never known exploded through his body as he crashed into the ground, smashing deep into the planet's surface.
His golden aura vanished. His hair shortened.
In an instant, Goku was just… himself again.
"....."