Vados looked at Whis and the others, letting out a weary sigh. When she had first visited Gran, she already knew that Universe 7's hidden potential was terrifying. Now, her suspicions were being proven right.
"Beerus, Gran... you both are truly insufferable!"
Unlike Vados's calm demeanor, Champa looked like he was about to blow a fuse. He felt like these two were his personal jinxes—especially Gran. Ever since he met the boy, nothing good had happened for him. If he wasn't currently being surpassed, he was on the road to being surpassed.
Faced with Champa's shouting, Gran and Beerus shared a glance but said nothing. Even they hadn't expected the Mortal Level of Universe 7 to rise so rapidly.
"Gran, it looks like what you're aiming for might actually be possible," Beerus remarked. Given his personality, he never cared much about rankings as long as they weren't in last place. But since Gran viewed being second-to-last as a badge of shame, Beerus had no choice but to let him run with it. After all, he was his candidate.
"Heh, once our universe hits number one, you'll be the undisputed top God of Destruction," Gran joked.
"The top God of Destruction, huh?" Beerus repeated the title, a smirk tugging at his lips. It did have a nice ring to it.
The two of them continued chatting, completely ignoring Champa, who looked ready to spit fire. Since he couldn't actually beat either of them, he was left to seethe in silence.
The Travel Cube streaked across the sky. On their way to the Destroyer's Planet, Gran and the others observed the state of Universe 6. Compared to the old Universe 7, Universe 6 was much better balanced. There was a steady progression from primary civilizations to advanced ones, and failing planets were practically non-existent. Gran knew this was the result of Vados constantly keeping Champa on a tight leash.
After a short while, the Cube finally arrived at the Universe 6 Destroyer Realm. It was nearly an identical twin to Universe 7's realm—an inverted pyramid topped by a colossal tree. The structures and layout were so similar that Gran felt like he was back home. The Elder Kai and the others, finally snapping out of their joy over the Mortal Level rise, looked around in wonder.
"So this is the Destroyer Realm of Universe 6?" Shin scanned the area. "It looks exactly like ours."
Gran stepped out of the Cube with a smile. "Universe 6 and 7 are twins. It's only natural they share so many similarities." Not just the planets, but Earth, the Saiyans, Frieza's race, and the Namekians all had counterparts here.
As they walked toward the palace, Gran noticed about twenty figures standing by a lake. "Nineteen Destroyer Candidates?" He narrowed his eyes. All nineteen wore the Destroyer uniform. Among them were thirteen who looked like Earthlings—clearly, they were Saiyans.
"You lot, get over here!" Champa roared. The sound echoed through the realm, startling the nineteen candidates.
One of the Saiyans, named Rhodes, was lean rather than bulky. The Destroyer uniform hung somewhat loosely on his frame. "It's just Lord Champa returning," Rhodes said, relieved. He then noticed the six figures with the God. Three wore Destroyer clothes. Did Lord Champa recruit even more candidates from the outside? Rhodes wondered. When he was first recruited, he thought he was the only one. He was shocked to find over a dozen others already there.
Wait... Rhodes frowned as they approached. He could sense Broly's energy, but he felt absolutely nothing from Gran or Beerus. Gods!! Rhodes's pupils shrank. Only deities lacked detectable Ki. He also noticed the skinny purple cat looked remarkably like Champa. A relative?
Lost in thought, Rhodes and the others finally stood before Champa.
"These five are the God of Destruction, the Angel, the Supreme Kai, and the Candidates from Universe 7," Vados introduced them. The candidates gasped. To think they were standing before the Gods of another universe!
Rhodes stared intently at Gran. According to the introduction, this man was a candidate just like them. But he couldn't sense his presence at all, which meant the man had already ascended to a Godly Dimension.
The realization hit the Universe 6 candidates like a thunderclap. They had been recruited specifically for the Multiversal Destroyer Candidate Battle next month. Every universe would send its best, and it would be a battle until only one remained. That meant the man from Universe 7 was their rival. Yet, he was already a God? How was that possible?
"What are you all standing there for? Bow!" Champa's eyes were cold. He wondered if he had recruited a bunch of idiots.
Terrified, Rhodes and the others quickly bowed to Beerus, Whis, and the Kais. "Greetings, my Lords!"
However, they didn't bow to Gran or Broly.
"And?" Champa growled.
And what? Rhodes and the others exchanged confused looks. The only ones left were Gran and Broly, but they wore the same uniforms. They were fellow candidates. Why should they bow to someone of equal rank? Rhodes, a genius with his own pride, decided to speak up.
"Forgive me, Lord Champa, but we are all fellow candidates. Why must we bow to them?" Rhodes asked, masking his fear with determination.
Gran appraised him. With his current level of martial arts, he saw right through Rhodes. Interesting. He's already grasped the power of Destruction and even has a hint of Ultra Ego. Gran smiled inwardly. It wasn't surprising that the boy had a bit of an ego.
"Why?" Champa sneered. "Because in this world, strength is everything. There's no shame in bowing to the strong. Even I would struggle to beat him right now." Champa kept that last part to himself, instead saying, "He is stronger than all of you. Universe 6 and 7 are allied for this tournament. If we want to win, we need this man."
"Now bow, or I'll Hakai the lot of you!" Champa snapped.
The candidates jumped and immediately bowed to Gran. If he possessed Godly Ki, he wasn't a mortal anymore. It was only right to respect that level of power.
"Greetings, Lord Gran!" nineteen voices shouted in unison.
Gran accepted the gesture. "Rise." He waved a hand, and a wave of Divine Ki enveloped them. Rhodes and the others couldn't sense it, but they felt its overwhelming pressure. They found themselves physically forced upright, unable to resist the unseen force.
"How... how is this possible?!"
"He forced all of us up at once? What kind of power is this?"
"Even with Godly power, he shouldn't be this much stronger than us, right?"
The candidates whispered among themselves in shock.
"Lord Champa, are these your chosen ones?" Gran scanned the group, his eyes settling on Rhodes. "Their talent is quite good. It's a shame there wasn't more time, or they could have trained in the Dimensional Tower."
From their resistance earlier, Gran deduced that most of the Saiyans had a base power at the First Tier of the Divine Realm. Since they were Saiyans, they likely had Super Saiyan transformations that could push them to the peak of the First Tier. Rhodes was the standout; his base was at the peak of the Second Tier, and transformed, he likely hit the Third Tier. With Hakai and Ultra Ego, he was a decent candidate. His only real weakness was his mortal dimension.
"They are quite a bunch, especially that Saiyan over there," Beerus agreed, nodding at Rhodes. "But Gran is right. If he had had more time, he could have elevated his dimension. He would have gained a longer lifespan and could have spent more time in the Time Chamber."
Since Rhodes was the strongest present, Beerus assumed he was the ace.
"Lord Beerus, this isn't Hit," Vados corrected with a smile. "Hit is an assassin who manipulates time. He is far stronger than Rhodes."
Champa puffed out his chest. "I told you, my final pick won't be a burden to Gran." Vados sighed. Is being 'not a burden' really something to be proud of?
"He's not Hit?" Beerus's brow unfurrowed. Rhodes was good, but he'd be crushed in the upcoming tournament. If Hit were stronger, that would be promising. "Well, if he isn't Hit, why haven't you called your ace out yet?"
"Vados, go fetch Hit," Champa ordered.
While they waited, Beerus made himself at home, lounging on a beach chair by the lake. Whis, ever the faithful "servant," took the chair beside him. Gran stayed by the palace entrance.
"Gran, I only recruited these Saiyans because of your suggestion," Champa muttered.
"I can see that," Gran said, glancing back at them.
"It's a shame," Champa sighed like a deflating balloon. "Vados and I searched Planet Sadala top to bottom, but we couldn't find a genius like Broly or that Goku fellow from Earth." He knew finding another Gran was impossible, but he'd hoped for a Broly-tier talent.
Gran knew Planet Sadala was the true Saiyan homeworld. It had existed in Universe 7 once, too, before being destroyed by civil war. "Just because you haven't found them now doesn't mean they don't exist," Gran said. He thought of Caulifla and Kale. Caulifla's feisty attitude would have made her a perfect candidate. Unfortunately, at this point in time, she probably hadn't even been born yet.
"I hope you're right," Champa said seriously. He had realized how terrifying the Saiyan race was and was determined to keep looking.
After a moment, two figures emerged from the palace. Vados led the way, followed by... Hit.
His skin was purple, and instead of a Destroyer uniform, he wore his signature long coat. He walked with his hands in his pockets—a clear habit. His face was a stoic mask, giving off an air of mystery. This was the strongest man in Universe 6: Hit the Infallible.
In the anime, Hit's "Time-Skip" was legendary, allowing him to humiliate Vegeta and press Goku to his limits. While the "no-kill" rule of tournaments usually hampered his assassination techniques, his adaptability was second to none. In the Tournament of Power, he had even used "Time Dimension" and "Cage of Time" to suppress Jiren momentarily. Though Jiren eventually overpowered him, Hit's survival skills were elite.
"Hit, huh? Interesting," Gran murmured, crossing his arms.
Beerus looked over from his chair. "Whis, that's their ace. What do you think?"
"Let's see..." Whis turned his head and then settled back into his seat. "His steps are light, and his energy control is excellent—classic traits of a top-tier assassin. However, he hasn't reached Gran's level of perfection. His raw power is around the initial stage of the Fourth Tier. His physical instincts are at the start of the Third Tier, and he's only just begun to grasp the power of Destruction."
Whis shook his head. "It looks like he just got out of the Time Chamber after more than two thousand years." He didn't finish the thought, but Beerus understood. If it took two thousand years to reach that level, his raw talent was actually lower than Rhodes's.
"Of course, that's just on paper," Whis added, taking a sip of a drink that appeared out of nowhere. "Combat ability is a different story. Lord Champa says he manipulates time; that's likely where his true strength lies."
"Initial Fourth Tier power..." Beerus sipped his own drink. "Time manipulation or not, that's a small trick in the face of absolute power." Like Jiren, who simply ignored Hit's abilities through sheer force. "Well, it doesn't matter. With Gran there, he could carry a piece of trash to the finish line if he had to." Beerus chuckled, knowing he was doing his brother a massive favor by letting Gran team up with them.
"Lord Champa," Hit said, bowing to his master.
"Hit, meet your partner for the tournament," Champa said, gesturing to Gran. "This is Gran, the Destroyer Candidate from Universe 7."
Gran? Hit looked at the young man. He didn't look particularly imposing, resembling the other Saiyans. But when Hit tried to gauge his power, his heart skipped a beat. Nothing. He had only experienced this void with Champa and Vados.
"Are you a God?" Hit asked bluntly.
"Watch your tone—" Champa started, but Gran raised a hand.
"It's fine," Gran smiled. "Yes, I am a God."
I knew it, Hit thought. A candidate who had already reached the Godly Realm... he was clearly a master.
"Wait, Hit, what's with that look?" Champa warned. "I told you about him. Don't you dare show him any killing intent, or you'll be the one who ends up dead!" Champa wasn't worried about Gran; he was worried about losing his ace before the tournament even started.
"So... this is the 'Gran' you mentioned?" Hit recalled Champa's earlier warnings.
"You want to challenge me?" Gran asked, surprised. In the source material, Hit was a recluse who only fought because of Champa's bribes or threats. To see him eager for a fight was a change.
"Yes," Hit nodded.
"Interesting," Gran replied. It seemed the timeline had changed, Hit, too. In truth, Hit had been coerced by Champa, who promised him a chance to train his dimension and a personal favor if he won. But after years of honing his killing arts, Hit had grown curious. He had killed many, but he had never tried killing a Destroyer Candidate.
"Do you accept?" Hit asked.
"I do," Gran said. "I've heard you can control time. I'd like to see how far that goes."
Suddenly, Rhodes stepped forward. "Lord Gran, may I also challenge you?"
The other candidates behind him looked on with anticipation. They all wanted a piece of him. Champa had told them he was stronger, but as proud candidates, they needed to see it for themselves.
"Shut up, all of you!" Champa barked. "We don't have time for games. We need to leave for the tournament now!" He hadn't even had the chance to test Gran himself; he wasn't going to let these kids waste time.
"It's alright, Lord Champa," Gran said with a grin. "They aren't like you or Beerus. I can beat them in a heartbeat. Just give me two minutes."
As Gran spoke, the Universe 6 candidates bristled with anger. Even Hit narrowed his eyes. Was this man really that terrifying?
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