And so, amid a field of stars, two terrifying figures faced each other.
"Lord Beerus, let's settle this once and for all!" Ye Ming said earnestly.
Beerus clenched his fists and replied, "Come on, Ye Ming. This is our final battle."
Beerus had put aside his arrogance. He genuinely acknowledged Ye Ming's strength. Ye Ming had entered a realm even the gods could scarcely reach, and even Beerus had trained for a long time before mastering Ultra Instinct.
With a loud bang!
Their figures streaked through space at incredible speed, moving faster and faster until they reached their limits.
Beerus punched Ye Ming and sent him flying. But thanks to Ultra Instinct, Ye Ming was incredibly nimble. He quickly got back up and counterattacked.
Their bodies and wills clashed fiercely. Countless planets crumbled under the pressure.
Far away in the Realm of the Gods, Old Kai and Shin watched, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads. Sweat poured down their faces without pause.
"Old Ancestor, what do we do? Make them stop! At this rate, the universe will be destroyed!" Shin cried anxiously.
Old Ancestor shook his head. The sweat on his face hadn't diminished at all as he replied with a tremble in his voice, "It's impossible. There's no hope of stopping them. This battle has already drawn the attention of the gods. It's a contest between a deity and a mortal from Universe 7."
Whis, who was on Earth, had also noticed. He couldn't interfere with the God of Destruction's decision, because he was only allowed to stop battles between Gods of Destruction.
He couldn't stop a battle like this. The destruction of the universe had nothing to do with him, though he didn't actually want the universe to be destroyed.
Whis had the ability to reverse time. The moment the universe was destroyed, he could turn back time and restore everything in an instant.
As the battle between the two grew ever more intense, the Z Fighters felt uneasy. Fortunately, Whis had protected Earth. Otherwise, it would have been destroyed long ago.
Vegeta and Son Goku were dumbstruck. They hadn't realized the gap between themselves and Ye Ming was so vast. They couldn't even see his shadow anymore.
Son Goku clenched his fists, remembering the days he'd trained with Ye Ming in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Ye Ming had always told him, "You have to stand firm in your convictions and forge your own path. No matter how treacherous the road ahead is, you must keep moving forward."
Vegeta looked just as dejected, but he also remembered an afternoon during those three years when he'd sparred with Ye Ming again.
As expected, he'd lost. During those three years, Vegeta hadn't managed to land a single winning blow against Ye Ming.
Back then, Vegeta had felt defeated. Am I really a warrior with the blood of the Saiyan Prince flowing through my veins?
Ye Ming had suddenly said to him, "Don't doubt yourself, Vegeta! You have incredible potential. You only seem ordinary because you ran into me. You'll find a path of your own eventually. You can make me the goal you strive toward."
"Vegeta, we've always been friends, and we always will be!" Ye Ming had said with a smile, patting him on the shoulder.
Coming back to himself, Vegeta regained his confidence. Ye Ming was right. He would forge his own path and become a true strong warrior!
At that moment, Vegeta and Son Goku looked at each other, seeing their unyielding confidence and fighting spirit reflected in each other's eyes.
Whis quietly observed everything, thinking, It seems Beerus and Ye Ming's battle hasn't discouraged them. On the contrary, their fighting spirit is only growing. These two have plenty of potential!
Back on the battlefield, Beerus and Ye Ming had already exchanged thousands of blows, yet neither had gained the upper hand.
But as the battle continued, Ye Ming's use of Kaioken x20 rapidly drained his stamina.
He stopped on a rocky outcrop, panting heavily. I have to end this quickly, or I'll never be able to defeat Beerus! But right now, we're evenly matched.
Beerus leaned against a boulder, panting heavily as well. Their battle clearly hadn't been easy for him. A trace of blood stained the corner of his mouth.
He hadn't fought with such exhilarating abandon in ages. Clearly, Beerus's fighting spirit hadn't been extinguished.
The two stared at each other. Suddenly, with a boom, they both shot away from where they stood.
They charged at each other. Their Ultra Instinct techniques clashed, unleashing invisible attacks that rippled through space. Traces of destruction were everywhere.
Suddenly, Ye Ming used Instant Transmission to appear behind Beerus. He locked his arms around Beerus's throat, hoisted him up, and immediately hurtled downward from above with Beerus in his grasp.
Beerus knew what Ye Ming was trying to do, but he wasn't about to let him succeed. He rapidly drove his elbow into Ye Ming's side, trying to break free.
But Ye Ming refused to let go. Even with blood running from the corner of his mouth, he never loosened his grip.
Boom!!!
Dust billowed everywhere. Beerus took a heavy blow, slamming hard into the inner surface of an asteroid. Ye Ming pressed his advantage and unleashed a Kamehameha.
In an instant, a powerful explosion swept through outer space, reducing countless planets to dust.
When the smoke cleared, Beerus had raised a protective barrier and barely managed to withstand the attack.
Ye Ming's face fell. He hadn't expected Beerus to have a barrier.
"Damn it!" Ye Ming muttered.
But he didn't slow down at all. He charged at Beerus at full speed.
Beerus formed ten enormous Hakai Energy spheres and sent them flying toward Ye Ming. Ye Ming could feel the terrifying power contained within them.
He immediately darted around at high speed, trying to use the asteroid fragments to block the attacks.
But Beerus wasn't about to let that happen. He controlled the direction of the Hakai Energy spheres with one hand, and they moved incredibly fast.
Seeing that he couldn't dodge, Ye Ming turned around and gathered another Kamehameha. With an angry roar, he completely nullified the energy of all ten spheres.
Ye Ming crouched halfway down, gasping for breath. But his gaze never left Beerus for even an instant, and his injuries were clearly severe.
Ye Ming knew he couldn't let his guard down. Whoever showed weakness first would lose.
Ye Ming said, "Lord Beerus, if we keep fighting like this, we might destroy the universe. Let's settle this with one final move!"
Beerus was looking rather battered too. He'd barely managed to form those ten Hakai Energy spheres, and he was running out of stamina as well.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "All right, Ye Ming. Let's see which of us survives this move!"
Soon, a powerful aura erupted from Beerus once more. Purple energy mingled with a dazzling, multicolored aura, forming a massive energy sphere.
Ye Ming was horrified by the sight. He knew this was Beerus's most powerful attack.
Ye Ming stood bolt upright, then suddenly powered up and roared. Golden light blazed around him as countless bolts of lightning crackled. He gathered his energy, pushing Ultra Instinct to its limits.
He also took up the stance for a Kamehameha, but then he said, "Kaioken x50."
With Kaioken x50 boosting him, his energy gathered at incredible speed, swelling to an immense size. Ye Ming's muscles bulged, his eyes widened, and a red aura enveloped his body.
Beerus saw Ye Ming gathering energy for a Kamehameha while using Kaioken x50. His expression grew more and more ferocious.
At last, they finished gathering their energy. Ye Ming called out, "Lord Beerus, here I come!"
Beerus answered in kind, launching an immensely powerful sphere of Hakai Energy, glowing with rainbow-colored light, straight at Ye Ming.
The instant their attacks collided, every planet around them crumbled to dust. The universe shuddered violently, and the shock waves even reached other universes.
The gods watched the spectacular battle through the Angels' staffs.
Ivan, the God of Destruction of Universe 1, exclaimed, "My goodness, that power is incredible! Beerus is having a hard time. This human named Ye Ming is terrifyingly strong!"
The rat-like God of Destruction of Universe 4, Quitela, said slyly, "Universe 7 has produced a powerful warrior. Squeak! This is terrible news for our universe!"
Clearly, the rat-like God of Destruction of Universe 4 and the clown-like God of Destruction of Universe 11 were cut from the same cloth.
In Universe 6, Champa stared fixedly at the ongoing battle and said in amazement, "To push that guy Beerus this far takes incredible strength. He's even more or less mastered Ultra Instinct."
Vados hurriedly agreed, "Lord Champa, your insight is truly remarkable. You're so clever!"
The moment Champa heard Vados say that, his face darkened, but he didn't lash out. Vados often teased him.
Back on the battlefield, Ye Ming and Beerus were locked in an intense beam struggle, each using all the power they had.
The void of the universe was being torn apart again and again, and the shock waves spread throughout the entire universe.
Ye Ming gritted his teeth and held on. His stamina was nearly gone, but one conviction kept him going: I absolutely can't fall. If I lose, Earth will be doomed.
Beerus was astonished that Ye Ming still had so much stamina. But in Ye Ming's eyes, he saw an unyielding spirit, the pride of a warrior.
Beerus realized, "Then I'll give you the greatest respect I can, Ye Ming."
Beerus's purple Hakai Energy surged in strength. A terrifying aura erupted from him once more, and his power rose another level.
Ye Ming refused to back down. He roared, and his aura climbed to its peak.
Sure enough, beneath that brilliant attack, the universe began to come apart.
At that moment, Whis intervened. He immediately flashed to the center of the battlefield between Ye Ming and Beerus and reversed time.
A few seconds later, the universe was peaceful once again. Everyone on Earth saw that everything around them was safe and sound, and they finally relaxed.
But Ye Ming had already collapsed onto the asteroid field, utterly exhausted and gasping for breath. Beerus also descended wearily onto a rocky outcrop, clearly exhausted.
Whis walked over slowly and said, "You two have had enough, haven't you? You nearly destroyed the universe. How about we call it a draw?"
Beerus looked at Ye Ming, and Ye Ming looked back at Beerus. They both nodded.
Ye Ming knew that Whis had stepped in at the moment the universe was destroyed. He must have used his time-reversal ability.
Before you continue