Before the Battle Begins

Beerus frowned and thought, Looks like these Saiyans don't know where the Super Saiyan God is either. I doubt they'd dare lie to me.

By then, Beerus had eaten his fill. He lazily said, "Whis, let's go back!"

"Since we can't find the Super Saiyan God anyway, there's no point staying here."

Then Beerus smiled at Bulma and said, "Mrs. Bulma, thank you for having me. I really enjoyed the food."

Vegeta suddenly broke into a cold sweat and stood ramrod straight. Clearly, Beerus's words had left him both flattered and terrified.

Bulma smiled and replied, "Oh, you're Vegeta's friend, which makes you my guest. Come by again sometime!"

Vegeta's face darkened. Come again? I pray he never comes back, he thought.

Whis thought the food on Earth was absolutely delicious, and even packed plenty to take home. Beerus watched him gorge himself and was speechless.

Suddenly, Whis appeared beside Beerus and said, "Lord Beerus, I've packed up plenty of delicious food for you. We can eat it when we get hungry on the way back."

Beerus looked at Whis's smug expression and was once again at a loss for words. Still, he approved of Whis's idea. Earth's food really was delicious.

Just as Beerus and Whis were about to set off on their way back, an unexpected guest popped out. "Hey, Lord Beerus! Nice to meet you. My name's Son Goku."

A bad feeling welled up in Ye Ming's heart. At that moment, Vegeta's veins bulged. He knew what Kakarot was about to do.

Beerus smiled and replied, "Mr. Son Goku, what can I do for you?"

Goku scratched his head and said, "I heard you're the strongest god in this universe. I'd like to spar with you a little. Just a spar!"

At that moment, Vegeta roared, "Kakarot, you're not even worth one of Lord Beerus's fingers! Get down here and stop causing trouble!"

Ye Ming and the other Z Fighters stood off to the side without saying a word, but Kakarot still wouldn't give up. "Lord Beerus, I sincerely want to spar with you. I want to find out just how big the gap between us is. Please?"

Beerus looked at Goku's eager face and smiled. "All right. I've eaten my fill today, so I'll give you a little lesson. But you might die."

Seeing the teasing look in Beerus's eyes, Goku froze for a moment. But soon, a wave of excitement surged through him.

At that moment, Vegeta wanted nothing more than to wring Goku's head off. He cursed Goku viciously in his heart.

Whis had also heard their conversation. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. It looked like he wouldn't just get to enjoy a good meal—he'd also get to see how the warriors of this mortal realm measured up.

Whis suddenly said, "Since Lord Beerus wants to fight, I suppose there's no reason for me to get involved."

He immediately flashed over to the delicious food and began to gorge himself.

Whis turned to the master chef before him and said, "Master, your knife skills are excellent. The food you've made is unbelievably delicious!"

The chef said, "I'm glad you like it, sir. I'll prepare some fresh food for you right away."

Back on Beerus's side.

Beerus looked at Goku, who stood before him, then gradually rose into the sky. "Come on. Let's get started. Don't disappoint me. We may not have found the Super Saiyan God, but I hope you can at least give me a decent fight."

"I've changed my mind," Beerus continued. "If this fight doesn't satisfy me, Earth might be destroyed!"

The Z Fighters standing below were drenched in sweat when they heard Beerus say that. The worst-case scenario they'd feared had come to pass.

Vegeta's eyes widened as fear once again flooded his heart. The terror of being under Beerus's thumb rose up in him all over again.

But now, Vegeta's gaze was resolute. Ever since Planet Vegeta had been destroyed, he had lived on Earth and gained a wife and child. He would never allow something like this to happen.

With that, Vegeta glanced at Goku and said, "Go fight Beerus first. We'll watch and see how things go!"

Ye Ming, standing nearby, added, "The worst-case scenario has already happened. It's not your fault, Goku. Maybe something unexpected will come of this."

Seeing that his companions weren't blaming him, Goku said excitedly, "I'll give it everything I've got, even if the one standing in front of me is a top-tier god."

Vegeta only snorted and ignored him. Piccolo and Krillin called out, "Good luck, Goku! We'll cheer you on from down here, because we're too weak to help."

"Show him the power of mortals!"

Unfortunately, neither Goku nor Vegeta had entered the realm of the gods yet. Ye Ming hadn't either.

They knew their chances of winning this fight weren't very good.

At that moment, Ye Ming clenched his fists. Once he sparred with Beerus, he would be able to obtain the rudiments of Ultra Instinct and Super Saiyan 4.

If he could gain that power, perhaps he could stand up to Beerus. (In this book, Beerus is far stronger than he is in the anime. Even Ye Ming, who possessed Vegito's body at full power in the Super Saiyan 4 stage, would be hard-pressed to match him.)

By then, Goku and Beerus were already facing off in midair.

Beerus stood with his hands behind his back, watching Goku calmly. He beckoned to him, signaling that Goku could attack whenever he was ready.

Seeing how arrogant Beerus was, Goku was furious. Damn it, he's looking down on me!

Goku immediately transformed into a Super Saiyan Second Stage and charged at Beerus.

As a Super Saiyan Second Stage, Goku's power increased considerably. His basic fighting strength had risen greatly thanks to training with Ye Ming in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

Beerus watched the golden-haired Goku charge toward him. He had already seen Goku transform inside Whis's staff.

With a smile, Beerus said, "So this is a Super Saiyan? You're really weak!"

Hearing this, Goku flew at him at full speed and swung his fist at Beerus.

But in the blink of an eye, Beerus appeared behind him. "You're far too slow," Beerus said calmly.

Suddenly, Beerus struck Goku with his palm, sending him flying hundreds of meters with a single powerful blow.

After stopping, Goku gasped for breath. His clothes were in tatters, and he wiped his mouth. "You're terrifyingly strong."

Goku couldn't even get close to him. All the Z Fighters around them were stunned. Beerus had knocked Goku away with such ease, and Goku had taken a serious beating.

At that moment, Vegeta clenched both fists. "Damn, he's that strong? What are we supposed to do?"

Clearly, Vegeta no longer had the courage he'd once had to fight Beerus. Cold sweat poured down his face as he thought, It's over. Earth might be finished.

Just then, a hand came to rest on Vegeta's shoulder. Ye Ming understood what was on his mind.

He said, "Don't worry, Vegeta. I'm here too. I'm not confident I can win either, but I can still fight Beerus."

Vegeta lowered his fists. He knew Ye Ming had never shown his true strength.

After three years of training, Vegeta had no idea how far Ye Ming had come. He knew Ye Ming's potential far surpassed both Kakarot's and his own.

Vegeta said solemnly, "You'd better not lose! If you do, Beerus's temper might really lead him to destroy Earth!"

After saying this, Vegeta fell silent and watched Goku fight Beerus.

The scene shifted back to the battlefield between Beerus and Goku. Goku staggered into a fighting stance.

His power is incredible. Maybe only Ye Ming can fight him.

Still, Goku would be satisfied if he could get a sense of Beerus's strength. He was still far too weak. Wanting to take on a top-tier opponent just because he'd gotten a little stronger wasn't realistic.

Suddenly, Goku looked toward Ye Ming, who nodded to him.

Then Goku stopped holding back and unleashed his full power. With a roar, lightning flashed around him. Beneath a golden blaze, his hair grew long. There was no doubt about it—this was Super Saiyan Third Stage.

Beerus watched Goku unleash his full power and said, "That certainly boosts your strength considerably. You're much stronger than you were in your previous form."

"But the outcome won't change. You're still a mortal, and none of your techniques can hurt me."

As Goku listened to Beerus speak at length, he had to admit that Beerus was right. He had effortlessly deflected every attack so far.

At that moment, Whis also looked toward the battlefield. He narrowed his eyes and studied Goku, thinking, His strength is just barely enough to make Lord Beerus lift a finger.

Then Whis lost interest and went back to enjoying the food before him. (Food lovers are usually pretty strong.)

As Goku charged toward Beerus, Beerus merely raised a hand slightly and blocked every one of his attacks.

Suddenly, Goku had an idea. He gathered energy in his hands, readying a Kamehameha.

Beerus called out, "It's useless."

Goku was completely absorbed in the fight now. In an instant, he teleported behind Beerus using Instant Transmission.

Beerus was surprised. So it's the Kai's Instant Transmission! But even though Goku had used Instant Transmission, Beerus still reacted in time.

Beerus actually wanted to see what it felt like to be hit by one of those energy blasts, so he didn't put up any defense. Enraged, Goku fired a Kamehameha straight at Beerus's face.

Boom!

A brilliant explosion rang out across the sky. The Z Fighters clenched their fists. "He did it!" But the old rule that smoke meant no damage still held true.

Beerus hadn't moved an inch from where he'd stood. There wasn't even a speck of dust on him.

Beerus looked at Goku, brushed off his shoulder, and straightened his God of Destruction's clothes.

"Is that the best you've got? Do you have anything stronger?" Beerus asked calmly.

By then, Goku was already at the end of his rope. He'd used his strongest technique, and still hadn't been able to break through Beerus's defense.

But Goku still wasn't ready to give up! He wanted to keep attacking, but then he heard Ye Ming say, "Goku, the gap between you and him is too great. You can't make it up in a short time. You've done everything you can."

"When you get stronger, you can fight Lord Beerus again!"

As Goku listened to Ye Ming, the fighting spirit in his heart gradually faded.

Beerus had heard Ye Ming too. He smiled faintly and said, "Your name is Ye Ming, right? You're mysterious, and you're a powerful Saiyan."

Ye Ming didn't dare be overconfident and immediately replied, "That's right, Lord Beerus. I only recently came to Earth and met these friends. But I don't want my home to be destroyed so easily by you, Lord Beerus."

"Oh, is that so? Then let's see what you can do. Can you give me a satisfying fight?" Beerus said, spreading his arms.

"No problem, Lord Beerus. Then let the second round begin!"

The Z Fighters all nodded to Ye Ming. They trusted his strength, because they knew that even Vegito hadn't been able to defeat Ye Ming back then. In fact, Ye Ming had even crushed him.