Things were happening too fast. From start to finish, the assassin Hit had only made a single move, yet he now stood strangely frozen, his hand-blade inches from Gran's back.
For an assassin, the rule was simple: one strike, one kill. If the first move failed, it meant Hit had truly lost.
"No way!!" Roz shouted, his voice cracking with disbelief. Seeing Hit stalled behind Gran could only mean one thing—the Time Skip had been broken. "Hit, you're the strongest one among us! How could your Time Skip possibly be countered?!"
At the sound of Roz's desperate roar, Hit looked up. He lowered his hand and took two steps back, his eyes narrowing. "How did you do it?"
While he was momentarily shaken that someone had bypassed his signature technique, his centuries of experience as an assassin allowed him to regain his composure instantly.
"That move of yours is called the Time Skip, right?" Gran said, his tone layered with meaning. "To an outsider, it looks like you're stopping time. But I know it's not that simple. You're skipping over time—jumping past it."
Gran tucked his hands behind his back, exuding the calm of a true master. "In that skipped interval, you are the only one who can move. Your opponents are left momentarily in the 'future,' unable to perceive or react to anything you do. Am I right?"
Hit felt another shock surge through him, though his face remained a mask of professional stoicism.
"To be able to skip... no, to jump through three seconds. Is that the result of your two thousand years of training?" Gran asked.
Hit had just jumped three seconds. In the original story, Hit started with a skip of only 0.1 seconds, yet even that tiny window nearly cost Vegeta and Goku their lives. He eventually grew to skip 0.5 seconds.
Manipulating time was an exponential challenge; every millisecond added was a monumental feat. For Hit to reach a full three seconds was proof of his genius. While others spent their time training their raw strength, Hit had focused entirely on his temporal leaps. It seemed he was truly dedicated to the art of the perfect assassination.
"You truly are the powerhouse Lord Champa described," Hit said, letting out a slow breath. "Yes, this is what I achieved inside the Time Chamber. But tell me—how did you break it?"
"There are actually three ways to counter your Time Skip," Gran replied.
"Three?" Hit's brow furrowed. He took immense pride in his martial arts; to hear there was one counter was shocking enough. To hear there were three was staggering. "Would you mind telling me what they are?" His face remained expressionless, but his fists tightened.
"Looking for a lesson?" Gran chuckled. "Fine. I still have thirty seconds of 'playtime' left. Go ahead, attack me with your Time Skip again."
Hit was momentarily speechless. Just how much did this guy want to treat this like a game? Regardless, he was desperate to know his own flaws. He activated the Time Skip again. They were only two meters apart—a distance that meant certain death for anyone else. But Gran tilted his body with effortless grace, and Hit's punch whistled past him.
"The first method is analysis. You study your opponent's habits and predict their next move before they even make it. Though, to be honest, now that your skip has reached three seconds, that method isn't very effective anymore." Gran was demonstrating the method Goku had used.
Gran stepped back, a faint smile on his face. "Twenty-seven seconds left."
Hit's brow relaxed slightly. He didn't waste another moment and lunged again. He knew he was no match for this man, but he needed to see the next answer. This time, he aimed for Gran's heart. Gran didn't take offense; he knew that since Hit had held back during the first strike, he wasn't an enemy.
"The second method is raw speed. In the world of martial arts, speed is king!"
Gran's body blurred. He moved so fast that he outpaced the very seconds Hit was skipping. In an instant, he appeared directly behind the assassin. This was the method the prideful Dyspo from Universe 11 would eventually use.
As Gran's voice came from behind him, Hit's fist froze in mid-air. So, extreme speed was another answer.
"Ten seconds left. Keep them coming," Gran said, playfully patting Hit on the shoulder.
Gran expected another attack, but Hit suddenly turned around. "I concede. Would you be so kind as to tell me the third method?"
This man possessed speed that could outrun three seconds of skipped time; that alone proved his power was on a different level. Combined with how he had stopped Roz's Level 3 Godly strike with a single finger... "terrifying" didn't even cover it. Hit suspected he might be looking at someone already at the level of a God of Destruction.
"Oh?" Gran was slightly surprised by the surrender.
"I humbly ask you to tell me the third method," Hit said, bowing low.
In the distance, Roz's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Hit—the legendary, cold-blooded Hit—had surrendered and was calling another candidate "Lord"? It was madness!
By the lake, Beerus and the Old Kai burst into laughter, realizing Hit had been completely won over. Champa, however, looked like he had swallowed a lemon. He felt Hit was being a bit of a suck-up, lacking the stubborn "backbone" Roz had shown. He didn't realize that Hit was being a realist.
"The third method is actually very simple," Gran said, glancing toward the gods at the lakeside. "You should have been able to guess it."
Hit frowned, thinking deeply before shaking his head. "Please, enlighten me."
"Absolute power," Gran stated. "If your power is vast enough, you can simply ignore the effects of the Time Skip entirely." In the future, Jiren would prove this by suppressing Hit through sheer, overwhelming force.
With that, Gran began walking back toward the lake. Hit remained where he stood, stunned. Absolute power? So Lord Gran doesn't just have speed... he has the power to render time itself irrelevant.
Gran reached the lakeside, which Whis and Vados had shielded. "Gran, that was amazing!" Shin cheered.
"Three different methods, huh? Not bad, kid," the Old Kai added with a satisfied nod.
"As expected of Big Brother Gran. You're as strong as ever," Broly said with a grin.
"Hmph. Playing around with weaklings for that long... how embarrassing," Beerus grumbled, though the wide smirk on his face told a different story.
"Hmph! Just showing off again, are we? Happy now?" Champa huffed.
"Hahaha, it was alright," Gran laughed. He looked around at the ruined landscape. "The three minutes aren't even up yet. Vados, would you mind fixing the place up?"
Vados nodded and tapped her staff. In an instant, the shattered Destroyer's Realm was restored to its pristine state. Gran then looked toward Hit. "Now that Hit is ready, let's head to the World of Void."
At those words, the expressions of Beerus, Champa, and the Kais shifted. A mix of excitement and nervous anticipation filled the air. This tournament had been ten years in the making, and it was finally time.
"Right," Champa said, looking at the group. "I'll be right back." He walked over to where Roz and Hit were standing.
Hit was helping Roz up. "You alright?"
"You try taking a punch from Lord Gran and see how you feel!" Roz grumbled, rubbing his jaw. That hit had nearly rattled his brains loose.
"No thanks. I'm not as reckless as you," Hit replied coolly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Roz asked, frowning.
"Charging in when you know you're outmatched... if that isn't reckless, I don't know what is." Hit tucked his hands back into his pockets. His voice was flat, but the sarcasm was biting. Having spent fifty years together in the Time Chamber, they had become something resembling friends.
Roz didn't get angry; he just shook his head. "Maybe it is reckless. But that's my warrior's spirit. I don't back down!"
"Well said!" Champa's voice boomed as he approached. He looked at Roz—the lean Saiyan who stood about five-foot-seven but was easily the strongest of his race in this group.
"Roz, you did well," Champa said, patting the Saiyan on the shoulder. He shot Hit a mocking look. "I like your grit. Unlike Hit over here, who surrendered before he even finished his first move. You're an embarrassment to Universe 6!"
Hit remained silent. Roz laughed, knowing that only Champa could get under Hit's skin like that.
"Alright," Champa said, looking at the other candidates still unconscious on the ground. "You all know why I recruited you over these years."
"Lord Champa, are you saying it's time to take Hit to the tournament?" Roz asked, clenching his fists. He knew the representative for Universe 6 had likely been decided long ago, and that it would always be Hit. Hit was the strongest and the hardest to kill. But Roz still felt a pang of longing; he wanted to see the powerhouses of the other universes for himself.
"Yes, I'm taking Hit now." Champa looked Roz over and grinned. "What, you want to come see too?"
"Can I?" Roz's eyes lit up. He couldn't participate, but just being there to witness the battle would be enough.
"You held your own against Gran today. I'll allow it." Champa looked at the other sleeping candidates and sighed. "As for the rest of them, forget it." Compared to Roz, they weren't up to snuff. He'd likely disband them after they returned.
"Thank you, Lord Champa!" Roz shouted, his face flushing with excitement. Hit just rolled his eyes, unable to fathom why someone would get so worked up over being a spectator. He didn't understand that for a true martial artist, witnessing such a battle was a dream come true.
Champa led the two back to the lake where the others were waiting. Gran wasn't surprised to see Roz joining them; he could tell the Saiyan was a pure martial artist at heart.
"Anyone else? Or are we heading straight to the World of Void?" Beerus asked.
"That's everyone," Champa said, shaking his head.
"Wait, there's one more," Gran interrupted.
Everyone turned to look at him. Gran patted Champa on the shoulder. "Champa, if you're leaving Universe 6 for a while, shouldn't you bring your Supreme Kai along?"
The Supreme Kai of Universe 6 was named Fuwa. Like Champa, he was quite rotund, and his personality was just as eccentric.
"Bring Fuwa?" Champa blinked, then realized his mistake. "Oh, right! I almost forgot about that fat-head!"
The truth was, when the Gran Zeno had called the meeting of the Destroyers ten years ago, Champa had never bothered to mention the tournament to Fuwa. The Supreme Kai was still completely in the dark.
"Fat-pig, don't tell me you never told Fuwa about this?" Beerus asked, his voice dripping with suspicion.
Champa shrugged sheepishly. "I meant to tell him a few years ago, but I was busy hanging out with you in Universe 7!"
The group went silent. Such a massive event involving the King of All, and he hadn't told his counterpart? This guy was something else. Even the Old Kai's lip twitched; he had finally found a God of Destruction more unreliable than Beerus.
"Fine, fine! I'll tell him now!" Champa huffed. "It's not like we're anything more than background characters anyway. Whether Fuwa knows or not won't change the results."
The group looked at Gran, acknowledging the truth in Champa's words. Without further delay, Vados summoned a Cube and transported it to the Sacred World of the Kai in Universe 6.
When they picked up Fuwa, he was, as expected, completely clueless. When he finally learned the truth, he nearly fainted from pure rage and stress. A meeting with Zeno?
A tournament between universes? And Champa had said nothing?! This wasn't just a Destroyer matter—if they performed poorly, the punishment could be dire. And if a Destroyer was erased, the Supreme Kai went with them!
Fuwa's face turned several shades of black until Champa mentioned the alliance with Universe 7. That only made it worse. Everyone knew Beerus wasn't exactly popular; teaming up with him felt like a death sentence.
Finally, Vados stepped in and explained everything about Gran, specifically highlighting his overwhelming power. When Fuwa heard that Gran's raw power was at the Level 7 Godly Realm—surpassing even Champa—his expression flipped instantly.
He went from despair to absolute confidence in a heartbeat. With Gran on their side, even if a real God of Destruction entered the fray, they had nothing to fear.
Gran couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. The two heavyweights of Universe 6 really were a pair of comedic geniuses.
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