"If that was all you had, then you'd better give it everything you've got against me next.
That's more or less what I expected, but you've worked hard, so I'll give you this chance.
Whether you can satisfy me after I've given you the chance is up to you, not me."
Beerus looked at Son Goku as he spoke.
"Don't worry. I won't disappoint you!"
Son Goku looked completely confident.
In his eyes, Beerus was more or less like Soya. He might not be able to beat him, but he figured he could at least put up a little fight.
"Whoosh!"
Son Goku flashed forward.
There was no denying it: after transforming into Super Saiyan 3, his speed had increased considerably.
"Your speed has improved quite a bit."
Beerus nodded, his interest growing.
"Bang!"
Son Goku threw a punch straight at Beerus.
Yet no matter how much stronger Son Goku became after transforming, none of his attacks ever landed.
"How is that possible?"
Son Goku stared in shock.
"Lord Beerus, you keep dodging. If you do that, I won't get a chance to see your strength."
Son Goku stopped and spoke earnestly to Beerus.
"You want to see my strength? Then I'll satisfy your curiosity!"
Beerus nodded, then raised his right hand.
But he wasn't going to use his whole hand against Son Goku. He didn't need that much power for someone like him.
"One finger is enough to deal with you.
To be precise, using even one finger means I'm giving you too much credit."
As he spoke, Beerus amended his own words.
"Damn it!"
Son Goku glared at Beerus, his eyes sharp. Once again, someone was looking down on him.
"Ah!"
A low growl escaped Son Goku.
With that roar, the power of Super Saiyan 3 erupted in full, coursing through his body and surging outward like a storm.
"You may be a God of Destruction, but you'll regret looking down on me!"
Son Goku roared, then shot forward at incredible speed, charging straight at Beerus.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Son Goku moved like lightning. Closing in, he unleashed a relentless flurry of attacks, hoping to shake Beerus with his fiercest assault.
"Too weak."
Beerus no longer dodged, but just as he'd said, he faced Son Goku's storm of attacks with nothing but a single finger.
He didn't even seem to exert himself. With that one finger, he effortlessly blocked every one of Son Goku's attacks.
"Kame—"
After throwing another punch, Son Goku immediately pulled away from Beerus.
The moment he had some distance, he brought his hands together and held them to the right side of his body.
"—hame—"
As the second syllable fell, the power of Super Saiyan 3 poured into his hands, gathering into a golden point of light.
"Interesting!"
Beerus watched Son Goku's movements without stopping him. Smiling, he wanted to see what sort of surprise Son Goku could come up with this time.
"—ha—"
The moment it appeared, the point of light rapidly absorbed the energy around it.
Drawing on Son Goku's own power, it gradually expanded into a sphere of light.
As the sphere took shape, an even more powerful force radiated from it. The sea roared, and enormous waves surged up and crashed toward them.
"—me—"
As the fourth syllable rang out, spiraling golden streaks appeared across the sphere.
Son Goku's power was so great that he couldn't fully compress it, causing some of it to spill outward.
The effect also made the sphere look even more impressive.
"—ha!!!"
With the final syllable, Son Goku thrust both hands forward with all his strength!
"Boom!"
A massive beam of light shot out, hurtling toward Beerus at incredible speed with unimaginable force.
"Let's see how you handle this!"
Son Goku smiled as he watched.
He was breathing heavily. That move had consumed a great deal of his strength.
"Don't overestimate yourself!"
When the Kamehameha came at him, Beerus didn't dodge. On the contrary, he stood his ground and simply ignored it.
When the Kamehameha was only a few inches away, Beerus slowly raised his hand and gently pointed forward with one finger.
"Boom!"
It looked like a light, casual gesture.
But the instant his finger came down, the enormous Kamehameha shattered completely, unable to resist at all.
"This..."
Son Goku's face changed.
He was about to rush forward.
But at that moment, a sudden sense of danger so intense it made his very soul tremble washed over him.
Without a moment's hesitation, he immediately leaped backward.
In the blink of an eye, Son Goku had retreated several yards, putting distance between himself and Beerus.
"Hm?"
Beerus's gaze sharpened.
Son Goku looked bewildered.
"I... I actually jumped back!"
Son Goku murmured.
That fleeting sensation had made his body retreat so far without him even thinking about it.
It had been a purely instinctive reaction.
"You really are a combat prodigy.
Even though you can't sense a god's energy, you still know to retreat at the critical moment.
If you hadn't moved back just now, you'd already have lost—or you'd be dead."
Beerus spoke slowly.
"What?"
Son Goku froze, clearly not understanding what Beerus meant.
"Bang!"
Just then, Beerus appeared in front of him without warning.
Beerus casually swung his right hand.
That simple gesture landed squarely on Son Goku.
A tremendous force slammed into Son Goku's body.
His body shook, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood. He was knocked back to his normal form, his energy reduced to a feeble flicker. The blow had clearly left him gravely injured.
But as long as he was still alive, there was room to negotiate.
"Son Goku, you've lost. So, as agreed, will you help me find the Super Saiyan God, or will you let Earth and the North Galaxy be destroyed?
I'm a very merciful person. I won't force you. I'll give you ten seconds to think it over. If you can't decide, I'll make the choice for you!"
Beerus looked at Son Goku as he spoke, his tone perfectly calm, revealing no hint of anger or delight.