Destruction and Rebirth

Broly had just burst out of the rubble when the fist was already upon him.

It looked slow, yet in reality, it was so fast that even time could not keep up.

The moment the punch struck his chest, he clearly heard the sound of his bones shattering.

"Boom—!!!"

He was sent flying again like a meteor, this time crashing straight toward Vampa's dark crimson surface.

Beerus gave him no chance to catch his breath.

The god's figure flickered through space, each teleport placing him precisely in Broly's path.

Fists, elbows, knees, and kicks—every blow made space tremble.

The God of Destruction's purple energy burrowed into Broly's body like maggots, tearing and eroding him at the molecular level with every touch.

Broly was like a punching bag battered in turns by the gods, ricocheting endlessly between the blackness of space and the planetary rings.

Every collision sent enormous ripples of energy surging outward.

His ribs shattered and healed again and again; his organs broke apart before reforming, while his skin cycled constantly between charred ruin and fresh regeneration.

His blood trailed behind him in a long, faintly glowing crimson streak.

Yet amid that hellish agony, Broly's eyes only grew brighter, like a star ignited in the darkness.

He could feel it—every time his bones broke, they reformed stronger; every time his muscles tore, the new fibers became tougher; the destructive energy that seeped into his body was instead frantically absorbed, devoured, and transformed.

The Saiyan instinct to revive from the brink of death had, under the catalyst of his legendary bloodline, become something far more terrifying.

Each time he hovered at the edge of destruction, he went further than before, his very level of life rising higher and higher.

Suddenly, another heavy punch smashed into his face.

Broly tumbled through the starry sky, blood spraying from his seven orifices.

Yet amid those scattering droplets of blood, the corner of his mouth curled into a savage, exhilarated grin.

"Again... more... give me more!!"

His voice was hoarse, as though a roar were rumbling in his throat.

His golden aura began to expand wildly out of control.

For the first time, a trace of surprise flashed through Beerus's eyes.

Then that surprise turned into an even more feverish, almost brutal smile.

"Interesting."

The God of Destruction licked his lips as purple divine light erupted skyward like flames.

"Then as you wish—"

He brought his hands together before his chest, and a Destruction Sphere ten times larger than the last began to condense.

The debris throughout the entire asteroid belt trembled under that energy, fractured, and dissolved into nothingness.

Standing amid an abyss of blood and fire, Broly spread his arms and let out a furious roar that shook the stars.

"What... are you smiling about?"

Beerus's voice came from above, low and faintly amused.

His right foot planted firmly on Broly's chest, purple destructive energy coiling around his ankle like electricity as he viciously drove Broly down toward Vampa's surface.

The air tore apart and burned, leaving behind a scarlet trail.

Boom—!!!

Vampa's surface was blasted open once more, forming a crater over a thousand meters wide. The rocks around its rim instantly melted into glassy fluid.

This shockwave swept outward in a ring, and everywhere it passed, the land was overturned layer by layer as if it had been plowed.

The entire planet's crust groaned and shook violently as thousands of bottomless fissures spread open in an instant.

Scalding golden-red magma erupted wildly like the planet's blood, shooting toward the dim sky.

Thick smoke and raging flames swallowed everything. Within seconds, Vampa had become a blazing fireball.

At the very bottom of the crater, Broly lay on his back amid lava and shattered stone.

His battle suit had long since been torn to rags. His exposed skin was covered in wounds deep enough to reveal bone; blood flowed endlessly from them, only to be instantly vaporized by the heat, leaving behind dark crimson scabs.

His silver hair was caked with dust and blood, plastered against his forehead.

Yet the corners of his mouth were still raised—that was a pure smile, almost dazed.

"So that's how it is..."

He muttered softly.

Though his voice was weak, it clearly pierced through the roar of the lava and echoed at the bottom of the crater for a long time.

"So this is... how a God of Destruction fights? Not technique, not tricks... but 'destruction' itself."

Like a ghost, Beerus landed soundlessly at the edge of the crater.

The lava's glow cast shifting light and shadow across his purple skin.

He looked down into the crater at the Saiyan, who was almost nothing but a blood-soaked figure, his tail slowly swaying behind him.

"You can still laugh?"

Beerus's voice held no emotion, only a trace of curiosity.

"Looks like you really are... interesting."

Broly did not answer. He merely took a deep breath—as if drawing the surrounding smoke and scorching energy into his lungs.

Then, bracing himself on one elbow, he forced his battered body upright.

His muscles tightened again amid violent tremors, veins bulging beneath his skin.

Even more astonishingly, the hideous wounds across his body began healing at a visible pace. Fresh flesh grew wildly, knitting together as new skin rapidly covered the injuries, leaving behind only faint red marks.

The crackling of bones snapping back into place came in a rapid string, like popping beans.

Slowly, unsteadily, yet resolutely, he rose from the bottom of the crater.

The lava's firelight cast a massive, wavering shadow behind his straightened back.

"It's not over yet."

His voice was quiet, yet it was like a boulder dropped into stagnant water, sending invisible ripples spreading outward.

Then—BOOM!

An unimaginably violent aura suddenly erupted from Broly! This was no ordinary shockwave. A solid-looking pillar of emerald-green energy shot into the sky, blasting straight through the churning clouds of smoke!

The aura that had just approached the threshold of a "quasi-God of Destruction" surged once more at this moment, breaking through to a new limit! Fine arcs of electricity flickered within the energy pillar—a sign that his power had become so immense that even space itself was warping.

Though he was still far from Beerus's profound power of the God of Destruction, the kind that represented "authority," this wildly growing "potential" was no longer an unreachable fantasy.

"You monster..."

Beerus muttered.

For the first time, clear amazement flashed in those previously calm, unruffled eyes—along with a hint of excitement at an unexpected surprise.