Demigod Lei Chen

This was something Lei Chen had discovered over the years: the Dragon Ball world would not change because of him. Small trends could be altered, but the grand trajectory remained fixed. In other words, even if you were to kill Supreme Kai Zamasu, Frieza, and the others in advance, another Supreme Kai Zamasu, Frieza, and their ilk would simply appear in their place. The laws of this universe were constantly repairing themselves.

"Son Goku, I have no interest in you anymore!"

As he spoke, Beerus suddenly erupted with his full power, striking Son Goku unconscious with a single palm.

With Beerus unleashing his full strength, his combat power reached nearly 70 trillion. Combined with the suddenness of the attack, there was no way Son Goku, with only 45 trillion in combat power, could withstand him.

Son Goku, who had only just flown into the sky, was knocked back into his base form by Beerus once again.

"This..."

Lei Chen watched the fleeting Son Goku with a sense of helplessness.

Because of his own appearance, Beerus had no interest in crossing swords with Son Goku.

A golden light appeared around Lei Chen, his pupils turning red with crimson markings around his eyes.

His entire body was covered in red fur, and his hair was a stiff, vibrant red, cascading down to his ankles with locks draping over his shoulders.

Super Saiyan 4 God—Lei Chen.

His combat power reached a staggering 240 trillion.

A terrifying aura radiated outward, instantly causing the entire Earth to shake and tremble.

Unlike the aura of a god, the power of this state was the result of pushing mortal strength to its absolute limit. It was not divine, yet it surpassed the divine; it possessed the aura of a god while retaining the raw power of a mortal.

"Such... such a terrifying aura. What is going on? Isn't it said that only gods can sense the aura of a god?"

"This aura is at least a hundred times more powerful than Son Goku in his Super Saiyan 3 form!"

Piccolo said, shocked.

"What is this?"

Vegeta said with a look of astonishment. He had a feeling that this was the true, original state of a Saiyan.

"Is this not the Super Saiyan God transformation?"

"What is this? It is a god, yet it is not a god. Is this what you call a demigod?"

Beerus looked at Lei Chen with curiosity and doubt.

"I suppose this state of mine should be called an imperfect Super Saiyan 4 God!"

Lei Chen said calmly.

"An imperfect Super Saiyan 4 God?"

Beerus said, his eyes filled with surprise.

To be this powerful while only imperfect—if it were the complete form, wouldn't it be able to fight me in my God of Destruction state? He is truly worthy of being my fated rival. It is just a pity; no wonder he calls it an imperfect Super Saiyan 4 God.

Beerus thought to himself with a sense of regret.

"This aura is too terrifying. How can such immense power not be divine?"

Son Gohan said in shock. Having not reached the realm of gods, he could not sense divine energy, so he hadn't realized just how powerful his father, Son Goku, had been moments ago.

Son Gohan had no idea how to compare Lei Chen to his father.

Just then, Whis, who was standing to the side, smiled and said, "This is perhaps a new power born from the fusion of a mortal's ultimate strength and the power of a god."

"So, while his current power is not technically divine, it is already several times stronger than the Super Saiyan God form Son Goku achieved."

"He should be considered a demigod now!"

"And this demigod is quite different from Son Goku, who merely possesses the power of a god in his Super Saiyan God form."

"This..."

The more Son Gohan listened, the more confused he became. He asked, "Why do I feel like the more I hear, the more muddled I get?"

"If you haven't reached that realm, you wouldn't understand even if I explained it. Let me put it simply!"

"If Son Goku is just a mortal who possesses divine power, then Lei Chen is someone who possesses divine power while his body is already on the verge of transforming into that of a god!"

Whis explained patiently to Son Gohan. Perhaps because of Bulma or the fact that Beerus had successfully found his fated rival, Whis was in an unusually good mood; normally, he wouldn't have bothered to explain such things.

"What? Doesn't that mean Mr. Lei Chen is going to become a true god, just like the Supreme Kai?"

Son Gohan said in surprise.

"That is hard to say. I have seen many who have reached this step, but in all these countless years, I have seen very few who truly became true gods!"

Whis shook his head, then turned his gaze toward Lei Chen and Beerus.

At this moment, Lei Chen made his move.

In the next instant, a terrifying boom echoed through the sky, but it was Lei Chen who went flying.

As Lei Chen was sent hurtling away, the space where he had stood began to collapse, bringing the Earth to the brink of destruction with a tremor that threatened to shatter the planet.

The difference in combat power between Beerus using Destruction Divine Power and Beerus without it was several times over.

"Is this the Destruction Divine Power that Lord Beerus spoke of? It's too incredible!"

Son Goku said in shock, though his eyes were filled with excitement and fighting spirit. He had once believed that after reaching Super Saiyan 3, he would have few rivals in the entire universe. Yet, after surpassing Super Saiyan 3 to reach Super Saiyan God, Son Goku realized that in the presence of a god, he was almost no different from an ordinary person.

"Damn it!"

"Kakarot, Lei Chen! One day, I will surpass you both."

Vegeta said with an incredibly grim expression. Suddenly, he noticed Whis standing directly in his line of sight. As if something had just occurred to him, Vegeta stared fixedly at Whis, having already guessed something.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After Lei Chen was knocked out of the Earth's atmosphere and into the vacuum of space, a sound like a machine gun firing incessantly rang out across the stars. Lei Chen seemed to have lost the ability to counterattack, taking hit after hit from Beerus, who landed countless blows.

"Hey, Saiyan! If this is truly the extent of your strength, then you are a massive disappointment!"

Although Lei Chen was several times stronger than Son Goku, to Beerus, there was no real difference between them.

"That's strange. Isn't the power Lei Chen is displaying now already surpassing Kakarot's?

And yet, even Kakarot was able to trade blows back and forth with Lord Beerus just a moment ago.

Why is it that Lei Chen is completely unable to fight back now?"

Vegeta said, his expression full of curiosity.

"Super Saiyan 4 God... it really isn't enough. It seems I have no choice but to transform into Super Saiyan Blue."

The moment that thought crossed Lei Chen's mind, he vanished instantly from Beerus's attack range.

"Is this space-time power? I never expected a Saiyan to possess it, and it seems he has refined it to an extremely high level!"

"This is going to be a bit troublesome," Beerus said with a hint of helplessness.

"Argh!"

A pillar of sky-blue light erupted, transforming into a vast expanse of azure radiance that illuminated the dark void of space.

The sky-blue light washed over Beerus.

"This is the aura of a god!"

Beerus looked at Lei Chen in astonishment.