It was a sensation Gran couldn't quite put into words—it felt as though his very cells were vividly recollecting every injury and every struggle he had ever endured.
The memories of his past flashed before his eyes, eventually merging and harmonizing within him. Gran's physical instinct began to sublimate, and the shackles that had long anchored him to his bottleneck finally began to splinter.
Then, with a distinct crack, Gran's physical instinct shattered the ceiling of the 3rd stage and ascended into the early levels of the 4th stage.
"He did it!!"
On the sidelines, Beerus finally reacted, jumping with unrestrained excitement. "I knew you had it in you, Gran! Hahaha! His physical instinct has finally reached the level of a true Destroyer. Combined with a mental state that touches the realm of the Angels, who could possibly beat him now?"
Champa was equally ecstatic, beating his chest like a wild ape. "Quitela, you're a dead man!"
The other Gods of Destruction could only close their eyes in despair. Giin, the Destroyer of Universe 12, ground his teeth in silent fury. What kind of monster did Beerus recruit? Is there really no one left who can keep this kid in check?
"Sister, he actually pulled it off!" the other Angels whispered, their gazes fixed on Kusu.
The diminutive Angel Kusu allowed a small smile to play on her lips. "Mm. He truly is remarkable."
Vados let out a long, heavy sigh of relief and chuckled softly. "It seems Quitela really is being backed into a corner now."
Elsewhere, in the World of Void...
This boundless expanse remained a silent vacuum, save for a few jagged remnants of the arena from the previous Candidate Battle Royale. High above the debris, two figures were locked in a high-speed spar. Every movement they made was an embodiment of the highest martial truths—techniques far more profound than anything Gran or Quitela were currently displaying.
"Whis, I didn't realize you had grown this formidable," Cognac said, wielding his staff to parry a fierce strike from his younger brother before attempting a wide sweep of his own.
"Ohohoho~" Whis glided back several paces, wearing a playful grin. "Perhaps it's simply because you've been slacking off over the years, Brother Cognac."
Cognac's brow twitched. Of all the people to call me lazy... However, he had to admit that Whis had become frighteningly powerful in a relatively short span of time. "I suppose that means when you and Vados fought years ago, you were indeed the victor."
"Why don't you try and guess?" Whis replied mischievously.
"I'll pass on the guessing games, and I'm done fighting you," Cognac said, stowing his staff. He looked toward the distance. "Are you truly that confident the little one can kill Lord Quitela?"
Seeing that his brother had truly stopped, Whis lowered his guard as well. "I am."
There wasn't a shred of hesitation in his voice, which gave Cognac pause. "Is that so? Even though Quitela is still one of the two strongest Destroyers? If he's pushed to the brink, not even Lord Beerus could guarantee an escape without injury. Gran is truly..."
"Brother Cognac, there is no need to worry about Gran." Whis's expression remained serene. He looked deeply at his brother, sensing Cognac's confusion. "Do you think I base my confidence solely on his budding Angelic Ultra Instinct?"
Whis continued, "You've seen it yourself—his physical instinct was on the verge of the 4th stage. In this life-or-death struggle, I knew he would break through."
"The 4th stage of physical instinct and a half-step Angelic mindset... that level of Ultra Instinct is enough to corner Lord Quitela, certainly. But if Gran wants to walk away unscathed, it still isn't enough..."
"It will be enough, Brother," Whis said with a meaningful look.
Cognac blinked, wanting to press for more details, but Whis simply shook his head. "Brother Cognac, have you prepared a new candidate for Universe 4 yet?"
Cognac went quiet for a moment before sighing. "Lord Quitela technically has four candidates in waiting, but none of them have much in the way of talent."
"Talent is secondary for now," Whis said with a faint smile. "As long as Universe 4 has candidates, the mantle of Destroyer will simply pass to one of them when Quitela falls. That way, you won't have to enter a long sleep."
Cognac finally managed a rare smile; he certainly wasn't eager to go into stasis upon his master's death.
Suddenly, an unparalleled surge of power rippled from the direction of Universe 6, washing over the World of Void.
"There it is! I knew he could do it!" Whis began to giggle again.
Cognac's pupils contracted as the pressure hit him. "This... this is impossible! Whis, is this Gran's power?"
"Indeed. Ever since Gran was a young boy, he was capable of becoming a Super Saiyan."
"Whis, what are you talking about?"
"Brother Cognac, Gran spent over 300 years in the Room of Spirit and Time. It was inevitable that his forms would evolve!"
"Whis, I don't understand..."
"The Saiyan race has a final, ultimate state, Brother. And Gran has finally reached it!"
BOOM!
Gran's new power radiated through the entirety of the multiverse. In that moment, even the World of Void trembled violently.
At the highest center of authority in the multiverse—the Palace of Zeno.
"Wow! Grand Minister, look! That giant gold monkey looks so cool!"
The Omni-King, looking like a small, colorful cylinder, pointed at the projection screen and cheered.
"Indeed," the Grand Priest replied, looking slightly surprised. "I hadn't expected the Saiyans to have a Golden Great Ape state in addition to that 'berserk' state Otis possessed. Quite interesting."
Zeno clapped his small hands frantically. "Look! Gran's changing again! His fur is all red now! He looks so awesome!"
"He is quite stylish. And for his power to reach such a magnitude... this boy is full of surprises," the Grand Priest said, his smile widening.
Suddenly, the innocent and childish look on Zeno's face vanished, replaced by an expression of solemn majesty. "Grand Minister."
"Yes, Sire." The Grand Priest stepped before the throne and bowed deeply.
"Bring Gran to me once he reaches Whis's level."
"As you wish."
"And when this is over, go and restore the universe Gran destroyed."
"And what of Quitela, Sire?"
"If he's gone, he's gone. That's what he gets for sending people to ambush others all those years ago."
"Understood."
In the space where Universe 6 once stood, now nothing but a void remained. The gathered deities watched Vados's projection, their faces frozen in various states of shock.
In the distance, Quitela had been positioned behind Gran, launching his "Hakai." But with that audible crack of his inner shackles, Gran's physical instinct had reached the 4th stage—the tier of a true God of Destruction. For context, even at his peak, Quitela's instinct was only at the end of the 4th stage.
In the blink of an eye, Gran's body moved with terrifying speed, effortlessly dodging the lethal strike.
"What?!" Quitela stared at Gran's back, his heart sinking. "Your physical instinct broke through? That's impossible!!"
"I really did almost die just then," Gran said slowly, turning around. His movements were now indistinguishable from a seasoned Destroyer—every gesture was laced with martial grace.
"How can you break through again so quickly?! I don't believe it!!" Quitela screamed hysterically. He knew exactly what this meant. It meant he was out of options. "DIEEE!"
Quitela lunged like a madman, unleashing a barrage of hooks, roundhouse kicks, and high-level CQC. His 7th-stage power distorted the void like crashing waves, stopping time once again. But this time, his speed was no longer invisible to Gran.
Gran dodged the onslaught with casual ease. The moment he spotted an opening, he struck with lethal precision. His attacks were no longer cluttered with the "extra movements" Whis used to complain about; every hit was fast, cruel, and accurate.
In quick succession:
A punch buried itself in Quitela's gut.
A hand-blade severed the mouse's tail.
A kick pulverized one of Quitela's eyes.
"AAAGGGHHH!"
Quitela was covered in wounds, but he didn't retreat. Instead, he grew more vicious. He threw everything he had—Rules of Destruction, Ultra Ego, and every divine technique in his repertoire. Pushing past the threshold of spiritual and physical agony, he forced his power to jump yet again.
Stage 7 Peak!!
The vast power conjured rolling thunder and a storm of annihilation. It looked like the twilight of the gods, a spectacle that made even the watching deities shiver.
"Is this his final struggle?" Gran wondered. "No... not yet. I can feel a more terrifying power hidden deep within him. If that explodes, I might not walk away in one piece. I need to go higher!"
In that instant, Gran felt no fear—only a rising tide of excitement. By all accounts, 300 years in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber should have given me enough S-Cells to enter the Super Saiyan 4 state. Don't let me down now!
Gran retreated rapidly, coming to a halt not far from Beerus and the other gods. "Vados! Give me a hand! Break the seal on my lower back!" he roared.
The gathered gods were baffled. "Seal?" What was he talking about?
Only Beerus and the Old Kai understood. When Gran was first brought to the Sacred World of the Kai, his tail had been missing. Later, Gran had Whis place a seal on the area. According to Old Kai's research, that tail was the key to the Saiyans' ultimate state.
"Lord Beerus, could it be...?" Old Kai trembled with anticipation.
Beerus laughed uproariously. "Exactly! If he could go Super Saiyan as a kid, there's no way he spent all those years standing still!"
While the other Destroyers were confused, the Angels noticed it. There was indeed a seal on Gran's tailbone, placed there by Whis.
"Very well," Vados said. She was eager to see this "ultimate state" for herself.
"Wait!" Giin of Universe 12 shouted. "This is a duel to the death! Vados, if you interfere, isn't that unfair?"
He didn't know what the seal was, but he knew that if Gran changed, he would likely survive Quitela's assault.
"Unfair?" Champa barked. "A Destroyer attacking a Candidate is already the height of unfairness!"
"Stop wasting your breath on him!" Beerus pushed Champa aside and glared at Giin. "If you're so eager for 'fairness,' I can send you to the afterlife right now!!"
The sheer coldness in Beerus's voice made Giin flinch. Lord Zen-Oh forbade fighting between Destroyers, but Beerus was a lunatic.
Giin didn't want to bet his life on whether Beerus would follow the rules, so he shut his mouth. Belmod of Universe 11 scoffed; Universe 7 was clearly on the rise, and Giin was too blind to see the shift in power.
"It is done, Gran!" Vados ignored the protest and tapped her staff, a wave of Angelic magic washing over Gran's back.
Gran had never actually tried this. He had kept his tail sealed and had never attempted the transformation before.
"Is it off?" Gran checked. Sure enough, with Whis's seal gone, a tail instantly sprouted from his lower back. It felt strange—itchy and awkward—but he could feel a massive, dormant power surging within it.
"Let's do this!" Seeing Quitela charging toward him again, Gran extended his hand. A small, white orb of light appeared in his palm.
The orb didn't seem particularly powerful, leaving the watching gods confused. They expected a massive transformation, so why was he using such a weak attack? Did he really think that little spark would stop Quitela?
Even Beerus and the Old Kai were momentarily puzzled.
However, if Vegeta had been there, he would have recognized that white orb instantly.
It was a Power Ball—an artificial moon.
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