The Grand Minister remained motionless, offering no reaction to the carnage below.
The Angels were taken aback, and even Whis looked on with a hint of confusion. Was their father actually going to let Quitela die? Just as that thought crossed their minds, the Grand Minister vanished without a sound. He moved so silently that not even Cus, the eldest among them, could track his departure.
In the void below.
"AAAAAGH!!"
A violet flash tore through the darkness. Quitela and his six companions were sent reeling across a distance of countless light-years. The raw impact of Level 7 Divine Power forced them to cough up blood, their bodies unable to withstand the sheer density of Beerus's strike.
"It's no use... Beerus has become a monster!"
"Quitela is already half-dead from Lord Zeno's previous punishment. Without him at full strength, we can't hold the line!"
"Wait! That move!" Liquiir, the fox god, suddenly barked. "Rumsshi! Use that move!!"
That move? The other Destroyers momentarily faltered. In that split second of hesitation, Beerus was already upon them.
"You pathetic washouts," he roared, cutting through the void like a dragon crossing a river. "You couldn't beat me back then, and you think you have a chance now?"
The violet light intensified. The combined weight of his physical strength and his Level 9 Destruction Rules was enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
"Rumsshi, NOW!!" Liquiir screamed in desperation.
"Fine!" Rumsshi ignored his shredded ear and the searing pain in his body. He planted his feet in the void, stepped in front of the group, and unhinged his jaw.
The roar! The realization hit the other gods instantly. Rumsshi's sonic battle cry was a specialized technique capable of stunning even a God of Destruction.
"ROOOAAAR!!!"
A terrifying sonic wave erupted from Rumsshi's throat, expanding in a massive, rippling ring. Having anticipated the move, Quitela and the others braced themselves. The pressure still rattled them, but they remained conscious. Opposite them, Beerus suddenly ground to a halt, his eyes glazing over.
"It worked!"
"He's open! Tear him apart while you have the chance!"
At this level of combat, fury had completely taken over. Beerus was intent on ending them, especially Quitela, to settle the score for Gran. Meanwhile, the other gods were desperate to wash away the humiliation of their past defeat. Both sides were seeing red.
"Die!!" Quitela was the first to lunge. Dragging his broken arm, he thrust his good hand forward, channeling his Level 8 Destruction into the shape of a violet dragon.
Heles fired a golden arrow infused with her supreme divine energy. Liquiir spread his remaining six tails and unleashed a barrage of destruction beams. Belmod flicked a hand, sending out a flurry of razor-sharp cards wreathed in Hakai energy.
Every one of the seven gods threw their ultimate techniques at the stationary Beerus.
The roar indeed dazed Beerus, but only for a heartbeat. His mental discipline was far beyond what they anticipated, and he began to snap out of it almost immediately.
"Damn it! He's waking up already!"
"Someone has to pin him down, or our attacks won't land!!"
The gods were frantic. They knew that with his Level 9 Destruction Rules active, a conscious Beerus could dissolve any attack they threw at him.
"I'll do it!!" a mechanical voice boomed. The lens-like eye on Mosco's head flashed. "Lend me your strength!!"
Mosco surged forward, using Rumsshi's trunk as a springboard. With the added momentum of Rumsshi's shove, the mechanical titan reached a speed that bypassed the incoming energy attacks. He appeared behind Beerus and locked him in a crushing bear hug with his massive iron arms.
It was a scene from the past repeating itself.
"You think this is like the old days?" Beerus's voice was low and dangerous. "You really think Mosco's power can still hold me?"
Beerus has finally fully recovered. Even with the volley of attacks closing in, he didn't panic. He grabbed Mosco's iron wrists, and the peak of his Level 7 Divine Power erupted from his skin.
BOOM!
The shockwave shook the World of Void to its core. A storm of destruction, far more violent than anything seen before, swirled around them, punctuated by world-ending bolts of lightning. The sheer pressure of Beerus's aura caused Mosco's iron arms to buckle and shatter instantly.
Beerus used the explosion of his own energy to launch himself upward. With the distraction gone, Quitela and the others' combined attacks slammed directly into the now-exposed Mosco. When the light cleared, the mechanical suit was a mangled wreck. A small, horned creature—the pilot, Mule—tumbled out of the debris. Having taken the brunt of a seven-god volley, he was barely clinging to life.
Beerus didn't spare him a glance. His eyes were fixed on the rat.
"All of you... Go to hell!"
He dove back into the fray like an invincible god of war. With every movement, another Destroyer was sent flying, their bones shattered by a single punch. He even began trailing Level 9 Hakai energy behind his strikes to ensure they wouldn't get back up.
"You... Beerus, have you lost your mind?!"
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?!"
"If you kill us, Zeno will erase you!" Quitela screamed, spitting out shards of his own teeth as he scrambled backward.
"Erase me? Did you think about that when you sent assassins to Universe 7?" Beerus appeared before Quitela, his face a mask of absolute cold.
"But I was already punished by Lord Zeno!" Quitela whimpered, his pride finally breaking as he prepared to beg.
"Zeno punishing you is his business," Beerus hissed. "I haven't forgiven you yet."
Looking into Beerus's eyes, Quitela felt his soul shrivel. He couldn't understand it—how could one god gain so much power in the same amount of time? It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair! "You look like you're regretting something," Beerus said, reaching out to snatch Quitela by the throat. "But in my eyes, that's not regret. That's just the face a rat makes when it knows it's about to die."
"Mmph—ghk!" Quitela thrashed, his legs kicking uselessly in the air. "We... we are all Destroyers of the same multiverse! If you kill us, you're finished!"
"Who said anything about killing you?"
Beerus held Quitela with one hand and wound up his other fist. CRACK! He drove his knuckles into Quitela's gut with the full weight of a Level 7 Peak blow.
"Gah-ha!!" Quitela sprayed a fountain of blood, feeling his ribs turn to powder.
"I know Lord Zeno would be upset so that I won't kill you." Beerus glanced back at the other gods, who were currently mangled heaps of meat and broken pride. He turned back to Quitela, his grip on the rat's throat tightening until the bones began to groan. "I'm just going to torture you."
"What... what are you—?!"
Beerus didn't give him the chance to finish. He slammed a fist into Quitela's hip; the force of the impact shattered the rat's spine. Quitela's screams echoed through the void. Once he was sure the rat could no longer move, a blade of violet light ignited over Beerus's hand—a blade formed from Level 9 Destruction energy.
"Enjoy the sensation of being erased one piece at a time!"
Beerus tossed Quitela into the air and prepared to execute a thousand-cut Hakai.
"That's enough."
A small figure appeared beside Beerus. He wore a divine halo and an expression of perfect, terrifying tranquility. Simultaneously, the Angels descended from the sky.
Beerus broke into a cold sweat instantly. The Grand Minister had finally seen enough. He dropped his energy blade and lowered his hands. Beerus stood beside the Great Priest, head bowed, shoulders hunched, his teeth nervously tugging at his lip. He looked for all the world like a guilty schoolboy waiting for the headmaster to scold him.
Grand Minister: "..."
The Angels: "..."
You just beat ten gods into a pulp, and now you're acting like the victim? The other Angels shot Whis, as if to say, "Your Destroyer is truly shameless." Whis didn't care; he just hid a smile behind his hand.
"You have quite the nerve, Beerus," the Grand Minister said flatly.
"Huh?" Beerus kept his head down, his voice pitching high with faux-innocence. "I didn't do anything! I was following your orders to the letter, Lord Grand Minister! I was testing the durability of the arena with everything I had—"
"Look around you," the Grand Minister interrupted.
Beerus realized the Grand Minister wasn't immediately erasing him for the assault on the others. He felt a surge of relief, followed by confusion. Look around? He cautiously lifted his head.
"Wait... Lord Grand Minister... where's your arena?!"
Beerus looked genuinely shocked. To an outsider, it looked like he was baffled by the arena's disappearance. In reality, he had been so focused on making Quitela suffer that he hadn't even noticed the stage had dissolved minutes ago.
"Lord Grand Minister... it seems your arena was a bit... fragile?"
The words left his mouth before he could stop them. Beerus immediately slapped himself across the face—twice. Whis facepalmed. The other Angels were speechless; they couldn't believe the sheer audacity (or stupidity) of Universe 7's god.
Is he going to kill me? Beerus's body began to shake. He bowed so low his nose almost touched the void.
"Beerus, you've been a bit naughty lately."
The Grand Minister reached out and placed a small hand on Beerus's shoulder. Beerus froze. That tiny hand felt as heavy as a mountain—no, it felt like the weight of the entire multiverse was being pressed into his collarbone.
Creeeak! Beerus used every ounce of his strength to try to stay upright, but he couldn't move an inch. His bones groaned under the pressure. Within seconds, his face turned a ghostly white. He had just looked invincible against seven gods, but before the Grand Minister, he was nothing more than a speck of dust.
The Angels watched in silence. Even Whis didn't intervene; he knew his Destroyer needed a reminder of where he stood.
"Lord Grand Minister! I was wrong! I'm sorry!" Beerus gritted out through clenched teeth, sweat pouring down his face.
The Grand Minister withdrew his hand. For a talent like Beerus, he was willing to be somewhat lenient. Beerus collapsed into a huff, gasping for air. The power gap was simply beyond comprehension.
"Beerus! I finished off Arack and those other two! Are you okay?"
Champa flew over, panting heavily and covered in bruises. It was clear that taking on three Destroyers at once had exhausted him. When he realized the Grand Minister was standing there, he quickly snapped into a formal bow.
The Grand Minister nodded and looked toward Champa's end of the battlefield. Iwan, Sidra, and Arack were all sprawled out, unconscious.
"Both of you brothers have shown remarkable talent," the Grand Minister said, a satisfied smile returning to his face.
"Isn't that the truth?" Marcarita teased. "We all thought Lord Beerus was just sleeping his life away, but he was secretly reaching these heights."
"Whis really has all the luck," Mojito sighed. "If my Destroyer were even half as strong as Beerus, I wouldn't have to worry so much."
"Lord Champa is quite impressive as well," Cus added. "To reach the peak of Level 6 in such a short time is no small feat."
Vados cleared her throat. "Actually, sister, it has nothing to do with Champa's talent. It's simply because I'm such an excellent teacher."
Champa: "..." He wanted to argue with his snarky Angel, but hearing the praise from the others made his ego swell. He and Beerus exchanged a look, both trying (and failing) to hide their pride.
To be praised by the Grand Minister, the one above all, was a higher honor than any soda. The twin brothers stood a little taller, their chests puffed out. Whis and Vados shared a knowing smile; their Destroyers finally had something to be proud of.
"Alright," the Grand Minister said, glancing at the mangled, unconscious bodies of the other gods floating in the void. "You two had better go help the brothers. They look like they're actually about to die."
<><><><><><><><><><><>
Want more chapters? Support my Patreon/Razerizz