Zamasu suddenly understood and let out a slight sigh of relief.
So Lord Supreme Kai was looking for a new Supreme Kai.
You scared me.
I thought you were testing me.
"How about it? Are you interested?" Gowasu asked with a smile.
"I'll definitely become an outstanding Supreme Kai!" Zamasu replied at once.
"Very good. From today on, you'll train under me. I need to evaluate you further," Gowasu said with a smile. "To become a Supreme Kai, you need more than powerful combat abilities. You also need to temper your heart, and that's a rather lengthy process. If all goes well, you should be able to take over for me in about forty years."
"Yes, Lord Supreme Kai." Zamasu was thrilled.
Forty years was actually a very short time for a god.
"Zamasu, show me your combat abilities first," Gowasu suggested.
"But... who should I fight?" Zamasu looked around. Apart from Lord Supreme Kai, there was no one else here.
"Clap!"
Gowasu gently raised his hand, and a black cube appeared above his palm.
"Next, I'll keep throwing Thunderbolt Steel at you. Try to dodge it while attacking, and show me your true strength," Gowasu said. "I'm sure you know that Thunderbolt Steel is the hardest metal in our universe—or even the entire Omni-Universe. Be careful, and don't get hurt."
"Yes." Zamasu immediately took up a fighting stance in the distance.
"Whoosh!"
Gowasu gave a gentle wave, and the Thunderbolt Steel in his hand shot toward Zamasu.
"Smack!"
A pink flame of light flickered in Zamasu's hand.
It was Zamasu's hand blade.
"Shing!"
As the Thunderbolt Steel hurtled toward him, Zamasu swung his hand blade and slashed at it.
The Thunderbolt Steel split in two under Zamasu's blade.
"Not bad. Again!" Gowasu nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand. Another piece of Thunderbolt Steel shot toward Zamasu.
This time, the Thunderbolt Steel flew even faster.
But Zamasu still dodged it with ease, then swung his hand blade back across it.
"Crack!"
The Thunderbolt Steel split in two again under Zamasu's blade.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Gowasu kept conjuring Thunderbolt Steel in his hand.
Zamasu handled it with ease.
High above.
Kusu and Rumsshi had just arrived, and they happened to see Zamasu battling the Thunderbolt Steel.
"Who's that kid? He looks pretty strong," Rumsshi said, his eyes lighting up.
"He's Zamasu, the North Kai," Kusu replied.
"The North Kai... Can he compete to become a God of Destruction?" Rumsshi muttered thoughtfully.
"Of course. There's no rule against choosing a new God of Destruction from among the Kais," Kusu replied.
"Let's watch a little longer," Rumsshi said.
The two hovered high in the air, silently watching Zamasu slash at the Thunderbolt Steel.
About another minute passed.
Suddenly, Rumsshi pointed his hand at Zamasu below.
"Clap!"
A piece of Thunderbolt Steel suddenly appeared in Rumsshi's hand as well.
The earlier pieces of Thunderbolt Steel had been about two meters across.
This piece swelled to six meters across, like a black mountain. It descended from the sky, covering the area below as it bore down on Zamasu.
Zamasu: "..."
What was that?
Why had it suddenly gotten so huge?
Gowasu, you're playing dirty!
By then, Zamasu had no time to dodge.
"Heh, heh, heh!"
Zamasu swung his hand blade at the Thunderbolt Steel Rumsshi had sent over.
But this Thunderbolt Steel seemed even tougher than the previous pieces.
Zamasu swung his hand blade several times, but the Thunderbolt Steel didn't react at all.
"Thud!"
The Thunderbolt Steel fell from the sky and landed right on top of Zamasu.
"Boom!"
Zamasu was pinned underneath it, with only one hand left sticking out and trembling.
Gowasu: "..."
Gowasu had no idea what had happened.
He looked up at the sky and soon spotted Kusu and Rumsshi above him.
"Ah... Lord Kusu and Lord Rumsshi!" Gowasu hurriedly greeted them.
"Clap!"
Kusu and Rumsshi descended from the sky and landed opposite Gowasu.
"Greetings, Lord Gowasu," Kusu said with a smile.
"You're too kind, Lord Kusu. Just call me Gowasu," Gowasu said with a hearty laugh.
Rumsshi said nothing.
"May I ask what brings Lord Kusu and Lord Rumsshi here?" Gowasu asked respectfully.
"This fellow's name is Zamasu, right?" Rumsshi asked, pointing at Zamasu, who was pinned beneath the Thunderbolt Steel.
"That's right. He's the North Kai. I was planning to have him succeed me as Supreme Kai... You can see I'm getting on in years, and I think it's time I retired and trained a successor," Gowasu explained with a nod.
"I'm taking him with me to compete to become the New Universe's God of Destruction. You don't object, do you?" Rumsshi stated his purpose outright.
"The New Universe's God of Destruction?" Gowasu was taken aback. "I'd heard a new universe had been born... I didn't know it was true. But... Lord Rumsshi, is it really appropriate to choose a God of Destruction from among the Kais?"
"There's no rule saying we can't choose a God of Destruction from among the Kais," Rumsshi replied. "I'm not here to discuss it with you. I'm here to inform you."
Gowasu wiped the sweat from his brow.
What rotten luck.
He'd finally found a Kai who seemed well suited in every way to succeed him as Supreme Kai.
But now Lord Rumsshi wanted to train him to become a God of Destruction. Meow Meow Novel
Gowasu didn't know what to say.
Still, Gowasu was a mild-mannered person.
He didn't object to Rumsshi's decision.
"Good. Then it's settled!" Rumsshi said, pleased, as he swayed his elephant trunk.
"Clap!"
Rumsshi gave the enormous piece of Thunderbolt Steel a gentle wave from afar.
"Whoosh!"
The Thunderbolt Steel vanished in an instant.
Zamasu grimaced in pain and got up from the ground.
"Zamasu, come here for a moment," Gowasu said.
Zamasu walked over and glanced curiously at Kusu and Rumsshi.
"Haha... Lord Supreme Kai, that last piece of Thunderbolt Steel was really huge... I wasn't careful and got pinned underneath it," Zamasu said with a laugh.
Gowasu wanted to tell Zamasu that he hadn't made that piece of Thunderbolt Steel.
But Gowasu felt there was no need to bring it up.
After Zamasu finished speaking, he noticed two strangers had appeared.
"And these two are..." Zamasu didn't recognize either of them.