Every face beneath the great tree beamed with joy. Gran grasping the power of Destruction was a monumental occasion for all of Universe 7!
"How does the power of Destruction feel?"
Gran reached out to the dining table and picked up a piece of divine fruit. He thought back to the cool, one-handed pose Beerus often struck when using his signature power. Mimicking his mentor, Gran raised a hand and murmured, "Hakai."
However, things didn't go quite as Gran had imagined. With a loud pop, the fruit burst, spraying juice in every direction. Beerus and Whis, ever prepared, stepped aside gracefully to dodge the sticky mess.
The Old Kai, Shin, and little Broly weren't so lucky. They were drenched in fruit juice.
The three of them stood there in stunned silence. Little Broly tilted his head, looking up at him. "Big... Big Brother Gran, why did you sneak-attack me?"
"Sorry, sorry!" Gran felt a wave of embarrassment. He had only wanted to test the power of Destruction again, but it had ended in a messy failure.
Beerus sat back down in his chair and rolled his eyes. "Destruction is the process of turning existence into nothingness—from one to zero. You've only just grasped the concept, so your control is still clumsy. Once you use it more often, that won't happen again!"
"I know," Gran replied. He wasn't discouraged; he understood his current level. Looking at his hands, he continued, "As for how it feels... even though I haven't mastered it yet, I can feel that the power of Destruction is incredibly overbearing."
It was different from his raw physical strength or his Ki blasts. It was a force that was difficult to put into words.
"This is the power of a God of Destruction, so naturally, it is domineering," Whis said with a smile as he poured tea for everyone. "The Gods of Destruction rely on this very power when carrying out their duties to cleanse the universe. However, you've only just touched upon it. Forget the level of 'Rules'—you haven't even reached the 'Entry' level yet. Only after you practice and become proficient in its application can you truly claim to have entered the gate."
I see! Gran thought. He suddenly remembered Vegeta's training in the manga. Back then, it seemed strange that a power belonging to a God of Destruction appeared so weak when Vegeta used it. Now he realized that Vegeta hadn't even reached the Entry level yet; he merely had the "effect" of destruction without the refined mastery.
Whis took a sip of his tea and continued, "Don't be in such a hurry. Now that you've grasped the essence, you will reach the First Stage of the Rules soon enough."
"Mr. Whis is right," the Old Kai laughed heartily. "With your talent, stepping into the realm of Rules is only a matter of time. To grasp the concept of Destruction in just three days is truly, truly, truly impressive."
Beerus tilted his head up proudly. "Well, look whose candidate he is!"
Hearing them heap so much praise on him made Gran a bit uncomfortable. Aren't these guys exaggerating a little too much?
"Don't think we're just blowing smoke," the Old Kai said, seemingly reading Gran's mind. He tilted his own chin up. "Without a doubt, the Hakaishin Candidates of other universes are likely trying to grasp the power of Destruction right now as well. But do you think any of them could do it as fast as you?"
"Hmph, they're all talk and no bite!" Beerus added dismissively. "The rest of those losers wouldn't be able to grasp the meaning of Destruction in ten years, let alone three, if they didn't have exceptional talent!"
Destruction was the core power of a God of Destruction. To even be considered for the position, one had to at least grasp its essence. Since there was only one God of Destruction per universe, the selection process was like sifting through sand for a single grain of gold. The difficulty of mastering this power was on a completely different dimensional level. While other universes might have recruited many candidates, Beerus was certain that very few would ever actually grasp the true power of Hakai.
"Everyone is right. You have every right to be proud of your talent, Gran," Whis added with a gentle smile. Even Beerus hadn't reached this level of comprehension in three days back in his youth!
"Ha... Hahaha!" Gran couldn't hold it in any longer. He stood up, hands on his hips, and let out a boisterous laugh. It felt good!
The others just stared at him. Is he losing it?
Once Gran finished basking in his moment, he sat back down and took a bite of fruit. "So, what's my next step in training?"
"Now that you've grasped the essence, you naturally need to train it to the First Stage of the Rules," Beerus said, leaning over to sling an arm around Gran's neck. He gave a mischievous grin. "Stepping into the Rules level is actually quite simple: you just have to destroy things. A lot of things."
Gran felt a sudden sense of impending doom. He pushed Beerus's arm away and looked at the slender cat god skeptically. "Lord Beerus, what kind of scheme are you cooking up now?"
"Scheme? How could you say that about me?" Beerus sat down beside him and took a sip of tea. "The more you destroy, the more proficient your power becomes, allowing you to reach the Rules level. So... you might not know this, but during the nine years you were in the Tower of Dimensions, several 'unqualified' planets appeared in our universe."
Beerus put down his teacup and began rubbing his paws together like a fly, a sneaky grin spreading across his face. "So, I'll let you handle the destruction of this batch of planets."
Gran shot up from his seat in disbelief. "Lord Beerus, you haven't been in a deep sleep all these years! How could you be this lazy?!"
"I... I just wanted to save a bunch for a single sweep!" Beerus replied, looking a bit sheepish.
Gran shook his head vigorously. "But I can't even stabilize the destruction of a pebble yet, and you want me to go out and destroy whole planets?"
"Is there a problem? That's how I did it back in the day!"
"..." Gran was speechless. "Lord Beerus, did you forget that I have the Hakaishin Candidate battle in ten years? Are you sure you want me to spend my time doing your chores for you?"
Gran looked around at the others, but he noticed that neither the Old Kai nor Whis had any intention of contradicting Beerus. Are these guys crazy?
"Gran, don't think Lord Beerus is just trying to be lazy. He actually left those planets for you on purpose," Whis explained. "Destroying planets is part of your training. It is the fastest way to make your power of Destruction grow."
On purpose? Gran gave his mentor a dubious look.
"Whis, you talk too much!" Beerus snapped. Noticing Gran's gaze, he quickly looked away. "Don't listen to him. You know my personality—I didn't leave those planets for you on purpose. Hmph! I just couldn't be bothered with them. From now on, all cleansing and destruction missions are your responsibility!"
Only by letting Gran handle it would his power grow quickly. Beerus had hoarded nine years' worth of unqualified planets specifically for this moment.
"Thank you, Lord Beerus!" Hearing this, Gran felt a mix of gratitude and the urge to laugh. Can this stubborn cat god just be honest for once?
"The Hakaishin Candidate battle may be approaching, but everything is proceeding according to my plan. You don't need to worry, Gran," Whis said, standing up. "I've already arranged your training schedule. Next, you just need to bring your power of Destruction to the Rules level. It should be simple for you now. Also!"
With a flick of his scepter, a set of heavy, bulky clothes appeared on Gran. The sudden weight made him stumble.
Gravity clothing! Gran recognized them instantly. He had worn a similar suit when he trained his base power level to one billion.
"Your current dimension has reached the peak of the Divine level, your body's instincts have broken through to the third stage, and your mental state..." Whis began listing Gran's current levels of mastery. Hearing the detailed breakdown, Shin and the Old Kai felt their hearts skip a beat. How could a normal person reach such heights in just over a decade? Then again, Gran was far from normal.
This guy is truly something else, Beerus thought to himself. Truly his most prideful disciple!
As Gran listened to the breakdown of his own strength, he felt a bit exposed, as if his secrets had been laid bare. "Alright, alright, Whis, that's enough," Gran said, gesturing dismissively while struggling under the weight of the suit.
However, Whis ignored him. "You've been a candidate for so long, yet strictly speaking, you've only focused on raw power training once."
Gran looked at the gravity suit. It was true. Ever since he had trained his power to a billion, he hadn't focused on raw strength. His current power was largely the result of his mortal Ki transforming into divine Ki.
"I know your strength has grown over the years, but that was natural growth," Whis continued. He tapped his scepter against Gran's head, and a flash of light surged into his mind. Gran felt a sudden pressure as information flooded his brain.
"Wh-what is all this?" Gran asked once the dizziness subsided.
"Those are the coordinates for the unqualified planets. Since your other martial arts have reached a bottleneck, you only need to focus on raw strength and the power of Destruction," Whis explained with a smile. "So, while you're practicing Destruction, you might as well train your pure physical power along the way."
Double training? Are you treating me like a pack mule? Gran's eyes went wide.
Reading his thoughts, Whis tapped him on the head again. "What are you thinking? I'm just asking you to wear the suit while you destroy the planets, not set aside special time for strength training." Whis added huffily, "You wore this suit inside the Sumi World back then!"
Beerus turned back around and added a cold smirk. "You weren't afraid of dying from the double pressure back then. Now you're complaining about wearing the suit to go destroy some planets?"
"..." Gran had to admit they had a point. Back then, he was so desperate for progress that he had indeed walked into a high-pressure microcosm wearing gravity weights and stayed there for months. Thinking back, it was a miracle the giant beasts hadn't ripped him apart.
"So, do you have any other objections?" Whis asked. Everyone looked at him.
Gran didn't speak immediately. He grew quiet, seemingly lost in thought. Whis was pleased to see this; he had always taught Gran to have his own judgment and not blindly follow orders. The human body was mysterious, and even as an Angel, Whis couldn't monitor Gran's physical condition every second.
After a moment, Gran finished assessing his own body. His current status was exactly as Whis described. For now, he had hit a wall in most areas; the only things he could realistically improve were his raw strength and his mastery of Destruction.
"I have no objections," Gran said, shaking his head.
"Good," Whis smiled. "Since you've only just grasped Destruction, spend a little more time here in the Sacred World of the Kai to get used to it before you head out."
Gran nodded. He looked at Broly, who was still eating, and hesitated.
"What is it?" Beerus asked, sitting back down and grabbing a bag of snacks from Earth.
"Lord Beerus, what happens to Broly after I leave?"
Upon hearing this, little Broly finally stopped eating. "Big Brother Gran, I want to go with you!"
Gran ignored him for a moment, keeping his eyes on Beerus.
"The boy is too volatile. I can't let him stay here," Beerus said flatly. Even though Broly's current berserk power wasn't overwhelming, what if he suddenly triggered that grass-green transformation? In that state, his power could theoretically grow without limit.
"Then... do you plan to train him?" Gran asked.
He understood Beerus's concern. Having the Old Kai around was one thing, but leaving Broly in the Sacred World would be like leaving a ticking time bomb near Shin and the Old Kai. Gran wouldn't agree to that either.
"He hasn't solved his rage issue yet. I'm not interested," Beerus replied, shaking his head. While Otis's constitution was incredible, the boy wasn't Gran. Even if he took him to the Beerus's planet, there wasn't much he could teach him right now. Teach him Destruction? Have him train his dimension in the tower? Without solving the rage first, that would only make him lose control faster.
Gran looked over at Whis.
"For the time being, it's best if he follows you," Whis said, sitting back down and pouring another round of tea. "Of course, if you want me to take him, I can."
"Never mind. I think it's better if he stays with me for this stage, too," Gran said, reaching out to pat Broly's head.
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