"Incredible! Absolutely incredible! That kid can actually go toe-to-toe with Lord Beerus like that!" Goku watched, his blood boiling with excitement, itching to join the fray himself.
Vegeta clenched his fists tightly with a complicated look in his eyes. "Power... speed... everything has reached a brand new level! Is this... the power of Super Saiyan 4? Can it really rival a God of Destruction temporarily?"
The shock in his heart was overwhelming, and simultaneously, an intense desire to compete and become stronger burned within him.
Axis watched his son's battle with satisfaction. "Well done, Kratos! This is Super Saiyan 4! The primal power at the very root of our Saiyan bloodline! Use your fists to sense the realm of the Destroyer God! Enjoy this battle properly."
In the center of the battlefield, Beerus blocked a heavy downward kick from Kratos.
He felt a slight numbness in his arm, and the interest in his eyes grew increasingly intense. "Nice! Very nice! Kid, your name is Kratos, right? Warm-up is over!"
The purple aura around Beerus suddenly surged high for an instant. His speed increased by a tier in a flash.
Bang!
Kratos only saw a blur before agonizing pain shot through his abdomen. His body flew backward uncontrollably, smashing into a distant mountain peak and causing the entire structure to collapse.
"Hurry up and come out, kid. That little scratch shouldn't have hurt you," Beerus said, hooking his finger at the shattered mountain.
With a deafening boom, Kratos soared into the sky from the collapsing debris, sending gravel flying. The golden-red aura on his body had not weakened. Instead, it burned even more furiously.
"Not done yet!" Kratos roared.
His figure disappeared again. This time his speed was faster, his power more condensed.
Every punch carried unimaginable force. His thick tail acted like a deadly javelin, coordinating with his fists and feet to weave an airtight net of attacks that enveloped Beerus.
Axis felt a bit speechless that Kratos was using his tail as a weapon. Generally speaking, Saiyan tails were usually wrapped around the waist as decoration. However, it certainly could be used to attack, as the power of the tail was still quite formidable.
Boom boom boom boom boom!
The sky exploded continuously. The speed of the two fighters had become invisible to the naked eye.
At this time, some of the local characters from the Dragon Ball world arrived as well. There was Son Gohan, the two children Trunks and Goten, as well as a certain Galactic Patrolman, Bulma, Tien Shinhan, Krillin, Master Roshi, and Piccolo.
Piccolo arrived at Goku and Vegeta's side first, then looked at Axis vigilantly.
"What is happening? Weren't you dealing with Frieza? What is the situation over there, and who is that Saiyan fighting the God of Destruction? Who is he?"
"Dad!" Gohan, wearing a green tracksuit, also flew up.
"Yo, Piccolo, Gohan, you guys are here. This person is called Axis and he is also a Saiyan. His strength is very high. As for the one fighting Lord Beerus over there, that is his son Kratos," Goku briefly introduced Axis to them.
Axis merely nodded at the two of them before turning his gaze back to the battlefield. He was far more concerned about his son's safety.
"Also a Saiyan? Old Sun, that father and son seem to have identical transformations. Is this a new form?" Piccolo clearly sensed the difference in their Super Saiyan mode.
This overloaded transformation covered the body in red fur, looking much more wild and impactful, with a sturdier physique.
Moreover, the Ki radiating from it was not comparable to Super Saiyan 3. It was hard to say how it compared even to Goku in his Super Saiyan Blue state.
"Ah! You're talking about that! That transformation is called Super Saiyan 4. It is a transformation I had never seen before either. Compared to Blue, it has a greater sense of raw strength. It is a state that draws out the power of the Super Saiyan to its limit," Goku said.
"Cut the crap, Kakarot. Just focus on watching this battle! The power of Super Saiyan 4 is the most primal form of our race," Vegeta said, looking back at Goku, Piccolo, and Gohan.
As the Prince of the Saiyan race, he could feel the power contained within Super Saiyan 4 more acutely. This was the ultimate evolution of the Super Saiyan.
"You can't exactly say Super Saiyan 4 is superior to Super Saiyan Blue. Actually, my Blue transformation, or rather the Super Saiyan God state, has stronger divine energy. The path of divinity is certainly stronger than that of mortals generally. But in terms of pure physical strength, Super Saiyan 4 is indeed extremely oppressive," Axis said.
"I see. It seems we have a long road ahead of us!" Goku remarked.
"I'll tell you this. I can integrate the powers of Super Saiyan, Legendary Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 4, and Super Saiyan God together. That is the strongest state I can currently produce," Axis revealed to them.
"That is truly amazing, Axis! If that is the case, can we also try to integrate the power of the Super Saiyan God with Super Saiyan 4?" Goku asked with excitement shining in his eyes.
"Theoretically, yes. However, putting it into practice will be quite difficult. Do your best. Your first step is to comprehend the Super Saiyan 4 transformation. I think Vegeta won't have much trouble with it, but the main issue lies with you, Goku," Axis explained.
"Hmph! Kakarot, I will master the Super Saiyan 4 transformation very soon. This time, I'm going to step ahead of you," Vegeta said with a smirk.
Through watching Kratos's Super Saiyan 4 transformation and his fierce battle with Beerus, combined with his own revival from a near-death state after the great battle with Axis earlier, Vegeta had the confidence to raise his power once again.
He even had a vague feeling that his Super Saiyan Blue could be pushed a step further.
"Damn it! I won't lose to you, Vegeta. I can master the power of Super Saiyan 4 too," Goku muttered.
At this moment, the situation on the battlefield changed again. The clash between Beerus and Kratos became increasingly ferocious, and the two had already fought their way into outer space.
From the surface of Earth, their figures were no longer visible. Without wasting words, everyone immediately flew upward, chasing into outer space to watch the battle.
The engagement had reached a white-hot stage. Kratos was gradually beginning to lose ground. The power possessed by a God of Destruction was not something mortals could imagine.
Even without using it fully, the energy of a Destroyer far exceeded that of mortals. That was the realm of true divinity.
After a side kick followed by a heavy elbow strike, Kratos was beaten until his body trembled, his consciousness even becoming somewhat blurred.
However, after seeing his father watching from a distance, a surge of anger and courageous fighting spirit welled up from the bottom of Kratos's heart again. He absolutely could not let his father down.
That hairless cat really was strong!
The power Kratos was displaying now would have killed Horus countless times over if he had used it against him during the Horus Heresy.
Yet in front of this hairless cat, he was being thoroughly dominated in every aspect.
"Roar!" Kratos let out a furious bellow. The Saiyan blood within him boiled, and the power of Super Saiyan 4 was compressed to its limit.
The red fur covering his upper body seemed to ignite, and the dark crimson aura suddenly surged violently, attempting to break free from Beerus's suppression.
"Still want to resist?" A sharp light burst from Beerus's eyes. He appreciated this unyielding spirit, but divine authority would not tolerate challenges.
Moving slightly, the leg suppressing Kratos instantly hallucinated into countless purple leg shadows.
Thump thump thump thump thump!
The attack was like a torrential downpour. In an extremely short time, at a speed the naked eye simply could not capture, Beerus bombarded Kratos's crossed arms, shoulders, and chest dozens of times.
Each blow was precise and heavy, containing enough power to shatter stars.
Splurt!
Kratos could no longer withstand it. His defense was thoroughly crushed, and he spewed a mouthful of blood wildy.
At this point, Kratos finally lost his last bit of combat capability. His entire consciousness had blurred completely, and he couldn't even maintain his posture, floating adrift in the vacuum of space.
Axis hurried forward to catch his son, then placed his palm on Kratos's back, using life energy to begin healing him.
Although he had been knocked unconscious, Kratos hadn't suffered overly severe internal injuries. Beerus had controlled his force quite well.
Beerus also stopped, looking at Kratos with a face full of appreciation. Although the kid's mouth was foul earlier, fighting him was truly satisfying.
This punching bag was simply perfect, much more durable than Goku!
"Phew... moved my muscles a little bit. That kid is not bad!" Beerus shook his hands as if he had just done some warm-up exercises, but the excitement in the depths of his eyes hadn't fully faded.
This kid had potential. If he let Whis train him, he should be able to improve even further.
Under the nourishment of Axis's life energy, Kratos soon woke up.
"How do you feel?" Axis asked.
Kratos struggled to sit up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Although his whole body was in severe pain, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"That hairless cat is so strong... but this battle was really thrilling! Father! Is this the power of a God? I saw it... although it is still far away, I saw it!"
Beerus's mouth once again twitched.
"Very good," Axis nodded in gratification and reached out to pull his son up. "Remember this feeling. Today's defeat is so that you can become stronger tomorrow."
"Yeah!"
"Lord Beerus, how much power did you use against Kratos just now?" Goku immediately flew in front of Beerus and asked.
"Oh! Just now, I used about eighty percent of my power! This kid is quite a bit stronger than you. When you turned into a Super Saiyan God back then, I used seventy percent of my power and beat you senseless," Beerus said, raising his head with an arrogant look.
"I will master this Super Saiyan 4 transformation too. We will spar again after that," Goku declared.
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ps?