Deep within the Sumī Realm
Beyond a vast desert stretched an ancient primeval forest.
And within that forest, a towering twenty-meter-tall saber-toothed beast was locked in a fierce battle with a child clad in bulky, weighted clothing.
The beast roared, its massive fangs snapping like steel traps, its tail lashing out like a whip, and its claws rending the air with howling gales—each strike powerful enough to tear the heavens apart.
Yet the child's counterattacks were equally fierce!
Phantom images flickered as he closed in, his small fists clashing directly with the monster's enormous paws
a collision of raw strength against strength!
It was almost unthinkable: a child so small, yet holding his own in a close-quarters brawl against such a gigantic creature!
"Stay down!"
With a burst of strength, Gran used the recoil from the beast's claws to leap skyward. His palms cupped together at his waist, a concentrated ki blast surging forth!
But!
The saber-toothed giant sprang backward, narrowly dodging!
"ROAAAR!!!"
Its furious bellow shattered the air, and a massive energy sphere erupted from its gaping jaws.
BOOM!!!
The unleashed blast flattened the forest in an instant, trees vaporized under the sheer force.
But Gran didn't flinch.
Instead, a silver radiance rippled across his body.
Whoosh!
His figure blurred, vanishing in an instant!
Even under the extreme gravity of the Sumī Realm—and the crushing weight of his training clothes—Gran's movements remained calm and impossibly sharp.
He slipped past the incoming blast, streaking straight toward the beast.
By the time the creature realized what had happened, Gran was already behind it.
A wicked grin curled his lips.
"Thousand-Year Death!"
He flung a glowing energy orb directly toward the beast's backside.
BOOOOM!!!
A perfect hit.
The explosion echoed through the forest, and the beast's agonized roar nearly split the sky.
If it could speak, it would've screamed
"You devil! That hurts like hell!!"
Enraged beyond reason, its eyes blazed red, its aura flaring wildly as both its strength and speed doubled in an instant.
At that moment, two figures appeared high above the forest.
"This little brat's getting way too reckless," Beerus grumbled. "Wearing those gravity weights and still daring to come here… when I catch him, his butt's getting blasted!"
He was cursing under his breath—but as soon as he looked down and saw the rampaging beast, he froze.
"...What the—what's with that thing's power?" Beerus swallowed hard.
Whis's expression grew grave.
"If we measure that beast using the universe's combat power scale… it's at ten billion."
Beerus blinked. "Ten... billion?!"
For beings like them, that level was meaningless—trash they could obliterate with a sneeze.
But the one facing that power… was Gran.
And Gran had only been training for—what?—half a year?
Wait.
Beerus's eyes widened as realization hit him.
"The Sumī Realm adjusts its danger level based on the strength of whoever enters it… meaning—"
Whis finished the thought, his tone quivering with disbelief.
"meaning Gran's current power is strong enough to fight a ten-billion-level beast!"
They stared at each other, the same wordless shock reflected in both their eyes.
Then suddenly
Another surge of power erupted below, just as fierce as the beast's!
Beerus and Whis looked down just in time to see Gran remove his weighted gear.
BOOM!!!
His true energy exploded outward.
Gran's body gleamed with raw power—ten billion in base form, without even tapping into his Ultra Instinct Omen state.
His movements blurred faster than light; even the raging saber-toothed monster couldn't keep up.
Blow after blow, Gran's strikes shattered bones, broke limbs, crushed its spine—until, finally, he shoved a glowing ki sphere straight into its mouth.
KABOOOOOM!!!
The explosion tore through the forest.
When the dust cleared, nothing remained of the giant beast but drifting ash.
Gran stood amidst the ruin, his small frame drenched in blood mist
a tiny figure, yet radiating the aura of a god of war.
From above, Beerus gulped audibly.
He was speechless.
Whis, outwardly calm, gripped his staff so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Even he was shaken.
And who could blame them?
Gran had only arrived in the Realm of Destruction two years ago.
Until a year and a half ago, he hadn't even begun to train his power.
In just six months, he had reached a combat power of ten billion—in his base form!
Beerus's voice was hoarse.
"Whis… remind me—how long did it take me to reach that level?"
Whis smiled faintly. "Including your naps, Lord Beerus… roughly ten years."
Beerus's eye twitched. "T-ten years…"
Even among all the Gods of Destruction, Beerus's talent was legendary—yet before Gran, even he seemed dull by comparison.
Some might argue: if Beerus's talent was so great, why did he take ten years, when Goku reached hundreds of billions in just decades?
Simple.
Goku's the protagonist—and transformations change everything.
In base form, even Goku's power hovered around ten billion.
By comparison, Gran's ten-billion base power meant that if he ever transformed into Super Saiyan 3…
his power would surge to four hundred billion!
Suddenly
BOOOOM!!!
The ruined forest quaked again, air warping under immense pressure.
Beerus's face tightened. "Damn it—there are more beasts! They're converging on him!"
That was the rule of the Sumī Realm—uncontrolled power leaks drew monsters like blood in the water.
Only by completely mastering one's energy could one survive.
"Whis! Get him out of there, now!"
"Yes, Lord Beerus!"
Whis flicked his staff.
Down below, Gran stretched his arms, grinning as a pack of new beasts appeared.
He was just about to dive back into battle when
The world around him suddenly shifted.
In the blink of an eye, he was standing beside a tranquil lake.
"...Huh?"
Gran blinked, confusion all over his face.
He looked around—the familiar scenery confirmed it. He was back outside.
Wait.
There was only one person who could pull him out of the Sumī Realm so effortlessly
Whis.
Which meant…
Beerus had returned!
Gran's eyes widened, panic setting in.
"Oh crap."
He had sneaked into the Sumī Realm precisely because Beerus wasn't around—hoping to power up quickly.
But now he'd been caught red-handed!
Gran's little body stiffened.
He slowly turned around—and then immediately tried to bolt.
"Where do you think you're going?!"