"How about it? Do you dare to accept? If your Universe 7 wins, I... I'll acknowledge you as big brother, and I won't scheme for Earth's cuisine anymore. But if our Universe 6 wins..."
A greedy gleam flashed in Champa's eyes. "Your Universe 7 will have to cede 'Earth' to our Universe 6!"
Setsuna spoke up at the right moment. "Excuse me, Lords Gods of Destruction, before wagering Earth as a prize, shouldn't you first ask the opinion of us Earthlings?"
Beerus rubbed his nose sheepishly. "Don't worry, we certainly won't lose."
Seeing this, Champa immediately seized the opportunity and said to Beerus disdainfully,
"Hey, Beerus, you're a God of Destruction! Why are you being so polite to a human? You're embarrassing us Gods of Destruction. Just order him around, isn't that enough?"
"Shut up! What do you know, you fatso!" Beerus instantly bristled, but when he turned to Setsuna, he put on a reasonable expression and spoke righteously.
"We Gods of Destruction are deities who maintain the balance and order of the universe, not robbers or bandits. How could we force other planets to do things they're unwilling to do? This is a matter of principle!"
Champa looked at Beerus in shock. Hearing such words come from a God of Destruction was utterly unconvincing.
Beerus concluded, "In short, if you want to wager Earth, you need to offer a bet that satisfies the Earthlings."
"A bet, is it? Fine!" Champa waved his hand, and six giant orbs suddenly appeared in the starry sky.
Each orb was the size of a planet, inscribed with star symbols.
"Super Dragon Balls!" Whis and Beerus exclaimed simultaneously.
Champa raised his chin triumphantly. "See? These are Super Dragon Balls, treasures created by the Dragon God Zalama that can grant any wish."
"I've already collected six. I'm only missing the last one to summon Super Shenron and grant any wish."
He looked at Setsuna, then at Beerus. "How about it? Use these six Super Dragon Balls of mine as a bet for your Universe 7's Earth! Isn't this bet sincere enough?"
"Agreed." Setsuna nodded.
He hadn't yet fully mastered the power of those six universes, but as the heir of the Dragon God, as long as he obtained the Super Dragon Balls, he could use them as a medium to completely master the power of all the universes.
…
For the Gods of Destruction, who govern the laws of the universe, organizing a cross-universal martial arts tournament was not difficult.
After Beerus and Champa reached an agreement, all preparations for this cross-universal tournament were complete in just five days.
The tournament venue was chosen on an unnamed planet in neutral space.
At this moment, the fighters from both sides stood on opposite sides of the combat space.
"Hey, Setsuna," Goku scratched his head, leaned in close, and spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying a rare hint of pleading, "Could you please go last?"
Vegeta didn't speak, but his eyes expressed the same sentiment.
Given Setsuna's unfathomable strength, beating all five opponents by himself wouldn't be difficult.
Wouldn't those of them, who had finally gotten a chance to fight strong warriors from another universe, just be reduced to spectators? They'd have no combat experience at all.
Setsuna looked at the eager anticipation practically sparkling in their eyes and nodded slightly. "Fine. I'll be last to secure the win. You arrange the order yourselves."
Hearing this, Goku and the other three all breathed a sigh of relief, excited smiles appearing on their faces.
Soon, after a fierce round of rock-paper-scissors, the fighting order was determined.
Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, Gohan, Setsuna.
"Universe 6 vs Universe 7 Martial Arts Tournament, now begin!" Whis, acting as referee, announced elegantly. "First round, please have the first fighters from both sides take the stage!"
For Universe 7, Goku cracked his knuckles and was the first to jump onto the stage.
For Universe 6, a large yellow bear, Botamo, took the stage.
Although the current Goku had not yet reached the level of Super Saiyan God as in the original work, he was still invincibly strong against ordinary warriors.
Goku didn't even need to transform... he defeated his opponent in his base state.
Second round, Universe 6 sent out Frost.
A Frost Demon who resembled Frieza in appearance but had a 'gentle and polite' demeanor.
"Watch out for the poison needle on his arm." Just before Goku started fighting, Setsuna's voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
Goku was startled, looked back at Setsuna, and nodded.
With Setsuna's warning, he naturally defeated Frost without any suspense.
Then, Goku went on to defeat the third and fourth fighters, achieving a streak of four consecutive victories.
"Tch, the caliber of you Universe 6 warriors is just as weak as you are, Champa." Beerus mocked Champa smugly.
But Champa was not flustered at all. Instead, he looked expectant.
"Not bad, Beerus. That Saiyan from your Universe 7, Son Goku, does have some skill."
"But that's as far as he goes. It's time to bring out the real ace."
He nodded towards the Universe 6 fighter area.
A tall, thin man in a dark coat, with eyes as cold as ice, silently walked onto the stage.
"Fifth round, Universe 6 fighter, Hit." Whis introduced calmly.
Sensing the aura from Hit, completely different from the previous opponents, Goku's expression immediately became serious.
Setsuna also sat up a little straighter.
The match began. Goku launched the first attack, throwing a probing punch.
Hit merely turned slightly, his movement so subtle it was almost negligible, and dodged Goku's punch by a hair's breadth.
At the same time, his right hand shot out like a phantom, lightly pressing against Goku's abdomen.
Goku instantly flew backward, slamming hard into the spatial barrier in the distance, a dull thud echoing.
"So strong! That's more like it!" Goku stood up, his aura exploding with a bang.
His hair stood on end, turning golden.
"Not done yet!" Goku powered up further. Lightning began to dance within the golden aura, his hair becoming more erect.
Super Saiyan 2!
He transformed into a golden lightning bolt and charged at Hit again.
Hit's movements remained concise and efficient.
He seemed able to predict Goku's every move. His dodges and counters were perfectly timed, minimizing energy expenditure.
Goku's seemingly fierce attacks couldn't even land a hit.
"Not enough, not enough!" Goku growled through gritted teeth, the Saiyan blood within him boiling.
His hair suddenly grew long, reaching his waist. His eyebrows disappeared, and his brow ridge bulged.
The golden energy around him roared like magma, and silver lightning danced wildly.
"It's Super Saiyan 3!" Gohan and Piccolo watched excitedly.
However, Hit coldly uttered two words: "Time Skip!"
It was as if 0.1 seconds had been stolen.
Hit abruptly appeared behind Goku, his hand chop swinging down swiftly.
Goku had no time to react. The boiling golden aura around him instantly extinguished. His hair returned to normal. His eyes lost their luster, and his body slumped softly to the ground.