A massive fist-shaped shadow came hurtling toward Beerus.
"Just how many times are you going to try the same move?"
Ninety-nine fist-shaped shadows immediately appeared around Beerus.
Although they weren't as enormous as before and were still half-real, half-illusory, the ninety-nine fists formed a ring that completely surrounded Beerus.
In other words, before Beerus could decide whether to destroy or ignore the earlier God-Slaying Fist, he had already been caught in its encirclement.
That was the true brilliance of the God-Slaying Fist!
"Don't forget, this move of mine is called the God-Slaying Fist. If it were as ordinary as it looked, do you think I'd use it?"
Soya spoke with complete confidence.
"Collapse!"
Soya uttered a single word.
The instant it left his mouth, the ninety-nine fists surrounding Beerus began to move. At an inconceivable speed, they struck him all at once.
"Bang!"
"Bang, bang!"
"Bang, bang, bang!"
A series of thunderous booms echoed out.
Smoke billowed up and enveloped Beerus, making it impossible to see what was happening inside. Only the continuous rumble of impacts could be heard.
Though ninety-nine fists sounded like a lot, the barrage lasted only an instant.
The smoke slowly began to clear. Before it had fully dispersed, a cold voice came from within.
"The God-Slaying Fist. What a move! Its power really is extraordinary. But just like the Heaven Origin Cannon, even you can only use it once at your current level, can't you?"
Beerus's voice drifted out.
The smoke finally cleared. Beerus looked a little worse for wear, and he wasn't standing as straight as before.
But as he looked at Soya, his eyes were filled with an excitement he had never shown before.
"Whatever the case, at least that attack had some effect on you!"
Soya smiled. He had never expected to defeat Beerus with that one attack.
At least for now, he was satisfied with its power.
"Of course it had an effect."
Beerus's figure flashed. As he raised his right hand, a purple orb of light appeared.
"Now it's my turn."
He crooked a finger, and the orb shot toward Soya at tremendous speed.
"My strength has taken a considerable hit, but an attack at this level isn't enough to defeat me!"
A glint flashed in Soya's eyes. The moment the purple orb reached him, he charged forward, clenched his right fist, and smashed it into the orb with all his might.
BOOM!
The purple orb shattered under Soya's punch.
Its energy dispersed through space.
Whoosh!
Soya didn't pause for an instant. He appeared right in front of Beerus and unleashed a furious flurry of attacks, giving Beerus no chance to respond.
Soya didn't dare give him one.
Just as Beerus had said, Soya had already used up his trump cards. With no other means at his disposal, he could only rely on this kind of strategy.
Beerus didn't seem annoyed by Soya's relentless fighting. Instead, he smiled.
"Haha! You're making me feel a little like I did when I was still weak!"
Beerus laughed as he fought Soya at breakneck speed.
Both of them moved incredibly fast.
And they seemed to be getting faster still.
Even Son Goku and Vegeta could barely make out Beerus and Soya's movements.
Fortunately, Whis was there. By slowing the fight down for them, he helped Son Goku and Vegeta see a little more clearly.
"They're so strong. This kind of battle is beyond anything we could imagine."
Son Goku's eyes shone with excitement.
"Super Saiyan 4 and Super Saiyan God. Two different paths of training... I think I finally know what I want to do."
Vegeta murmured. Earlier, he hadn't been sure which path to take, but now he had made up his mind.
Like Vegeta, Son Goku had also made his decision. He knew which direction he wanted to pursue in his training.
"Soya really is powerful. You're both Saiyans, but the gap between his strength and yours is still enormous, Son Goku, Vegeta."
Whis glanced at Soya, then spoke to the two Saiyans beside him.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Soya continued attacking relentlessly, without a single pause.
He unleashed his full strength with every blow.
Beerus was just as excited as ever. Although the gap in their strength remained considerable, fighting Soya under his suppression let him experience the exhilaration of a hard-fought battle once more.
It had been a very, very long time since Beerus had felt this way.
Now that the feeling had returned, it was impossible to describe his excitement.
Bang!
After another clash, Soya and Beerus both staggered back several steps. Neither could hide his excitement.
"Soya, you've earned my recognition. Now I'll show you the strongest attack I can unleash using thirty percent of my power. I hope you can withstand it."
Beerus thought highly of Soya, and he couldn't help saying this.
"I'll do my best."
Soya nodded.
"Ah!"
Beerus roared, then vanished in a flash. In an instant, he appeared in front of Soya.
"So fast!"
Soya's vision blurred. He couldn't even make out what had happened.
Bang!
Beerus's fist struck him squarely.
"Ah!"
Even Soya's body shuddered under the blow. He spat out a large mouthful of blood and cried out in pain.
Boom!
Soya's body slammed into the ground in the distance.
At the same time, his aura plummeted. He could no longer maintain his Super Saiyan 4 form and returned to his normal state.
The red around his eyes gradually faded.
His slightly raised hair fell back into place.
"Is this really all the strength I have?"
The pain surging through his body made Soya furrow his brow.
He didn't want to admit it, but he knew their fight was over.
He had lost—and lost miserably.
It was the kind of defeat that came after someone had toyed with him and had their fill.