His skin was a deep purple.
He wasn't wearing the attire of a God of Destruction candidate—instead, he had on a long coat.
Both of his hands were tucked casually into his pockets, as though this were simply his habit.
His expression was cold and rigid, utterly devoid of emotion—a classic poker face that gave off an air of mystery.
This was the strongest warrior of Universe Six—
the assassin, Hit.
In the anime, Hit possessed a terrifying technique known as Time-Skip.
Relying on it, he effortlessly defeated Vegeta during the Universe Six–Seven Tournament.
He even overwhelmed Son Goku at one point—until Goku finally saw through the mechanics of Time-Skip and managed to counter him.
However, the rules of that tournament strictly forbade killing.
As a result, Hit's true art—the art of assassination—was never fully unleashed.
Otherwise, whether Son Goku could have even walked off the arena alive would've been anyone's guess.
Later, during the Tournament of Power, Hit further evolved his techniques, developing abilities such as Time-Skip Cage and Time Prison.
In his battle against Jiren, he even managed—briefly—to suppress him.
Unfortunately, Jiren's power was simply too overwhelming, and Hit ultimately fell.
Even so…
There was no questioning Hit's strength.
He was Universe Six's trump card, especially with that terrifying mastery over time.
In large-scale chaotic battles, his survivability was absolutely—terrifyingly—high.
"Hit, huh? Interesting."
Gran folded his arms as he watched Hit step forward.
Beerus, lounging on his deck chair, also glanced back toward the entrance of the God of Destruction's palace.
"Whis, this guy should be Universe Six's ace, right? What do you think?"
"Let me see."
Whis turned his head to observe briefly, then reclined back into his chair.
"His steps are light, and his control over power is quite refined—very characteristic of an assassin."
"However, compared to Gran, his control still falls short. His pure power is roughly at the early stage of the Fourth Tier of the Divine Realm."
"As for bodily instinct, it's at the early Third Tier. His destructive power… seems to have only just been comprehended."
At this point, Whis shook his head lightly.
"Judging by this, he's likely just come out of the Time Chamber—which means he's trained there for over two thousand years."
Whis didn't continue.
But Beerus understood perfectly.
Training for over two thousand years and only reaching this level of martial attainment…
His talent was actually inferior even to Roz's.
"Of course," Whis added calmly, "this is merely what I can tell from his surface. His true combat capability will only be clear once he fights."
Whis casually produced two drinks from somewhere and handed one to Beerus.
"Lord Champa mentioned that he can manipulate time. That may well be his greatest strength."
Beerus took a sip.
"With pure power only at the early Fourth Tier, what difference does manipulating time make? It's ultimately just a side path."
Beerus wasn't wrong.
Even in the Tournament of Power—despite developing Time Prison and Time-Skip Space—Hit still couldn't even break Jiren's defense.
"Still, it doesn't really matter."
Beerus laughed helplessly.
"With Gran around, even if Universe Six's candidate is complete trash, Gran can still guarantee he stands to the very end."
There was nothing else he could do.
After all, Champa was his own brother—so this favor had to be entrusted to Gran.
In front of the God of Destruction's palace—
"Greetings, Lord Champa."
Hit stepped out from the palace gates and bowed.
"Mm."
Champa nodded, then shot Gran a glance.
"Hit, let me introduce someone you'll be working with. This is Universe Seven's God of Destruction candidate—his name is Gran."
Gran?
Hit turned his gaze toward the young man beside Champa.
He was wearing God of Destruction–style attire, his build not particularly imposing. Judging by his appearance, he looked similar to a Saiyan.
As for his aura—
Hit instinctively tried to sense it.
And his heart skipped.
…Nothing.
He had only ever experienced this sensation with Champa and Vados.
Which meant—
This man was already a god.
"You're a god?" Hit asked bluntly.
"Watch your tone—"
Champa frowned, but before he could finish—
"It's fine."
Gran smiled lightly.
"I am indeed a god."
"As expected."
Hit was shaken once more.
They were both candidates for God of Destruction, yet the other had already stepped into divinity.
…This man was dangerous.
"Hey—what's with that look, Hit?"
Champa noticed Hit's gaze sharpening and immediately warned him coldly.
"Let me be clear: this is the Gran I told you about before. You are not allowed to show killing intent toward him."
Champa wasn't afraid of Gran being killed.
He was afraid of Gran killing his candidate.
"…So this is Gran?"
Hit suddenly remembered.
Champa had mentioned this man long ago—warning him repeatedly that if he ever showed killing intent toward Gran, he would die.
"What—do you want to challenge me?"
Gran raised a brow, surprised.
In the anime, Hit was a reclusive assassin—cold, distant, uninterested in appearing before others.
He only participated in tournaments because Champa forced him.
Even this God of Destruction Candidate War—Gran had assumed it was another act of coercion.
Yet now—
Hit was taking the initiative.
"Yes."
Hit nodded calmly.
"Interesting."
Gran smiled. It seemed Hit had changed.
What Gran didn't know was that Hit had been forced at first.
Champa had threatened him into participating.
If Hit won, he'd be granted a chance to cultivate his dimensional realm—and one wish.
If he refused, he would be erased.
Hit had no choice but to agree.
But after years of cultivation, his assassination martial path had grown increasingly terrifying.
And now…
He was actually looking forward to the battle.
After all—
He had killed countless beings.
But killing God of Destruction candidates?
That was something he'd never tried before.
"Do you agree, Gran?" Hit asked.
"Of course."
Gran narrowed his eyes.
"I've heard you can manipulate time. I'd like to see just how far that control goes."
At that moment—
Roz stepped forward.
"Lord Gran, may I challenge you as well?"
At once, the other candidates behind Roz lit up with anticipation.
They all wanted to fight Gran.
After all, Champa had ordered them to bow—and declared Gran superior to them all.
But they were all candidates of the same rank.
Who among them didn't possess pride?
They wanted to see for themselves how strong Gran truly was.
"Enough!"
Champa glared at them.
"There's no time for sparring! I'm taking Hit and heading straight to the God of Destruction Candidate War!"
When Gran had finished unlocking his potential, Champa had wanted to test his strength together with Beerus.
But time had never permitted it.
Now was no different.
He wasn't about to let these fools delay things.
"Lord Champa, it's fine."
Gran smiled.
"They're not like you or Lord Beerus. I can defeat them casually."
"Just give me two minutes."
If he wanted to, he could eliminate them instantly.
But—
Two minutes sounded fun.
The moment Gran spoke, Roz and the other candidates' faces darkened with anger.
Even Hit frowned.
…Was this man truly that terrifying?