The Battle Was Far from Over, It Had Only Just Begun!

But now that things had come to this, King Kai was powerless.

He could only pray that Son Goku had not perished in that terrifying explosion.

He also hoped that after Beerus the God of Destruction defeated Son Goku, he would spare his life and not destroy his disciple.

In the Sacred World of the Kai.

As the only gods in the universe with a status equal to the God of Destruction, how could they turn a blind eye now that the God of Destruction had awakened and such a tremendous disturbance had occurred in the universe?

Kibito Kai and Old Kai watched what was happening in the lower realm, too stunned to speak.

Son Goku's strength and the terror of the God of Destruction had both overturned everything they knew.

"He did it... Goku became a god!!"

"Ancestor, do you think Goku can beat Beerus the God of Destruction?"

Suppressing the restless feelings in his heart, Kibito Kai turned to ask Old Kai.

"Alas!" Old Kai let out a sigh, seeming to age several decades in an instant.

As a Supreme Kai from fifteen generations ago, he understood better than anyone how terrifying Beerus the God of Destruction was.

Son Goku was certainly powerful now, but his strength was still far from comparable to that of the veteran God of Destruction, Beerus.

Honestly, he had been quite happy when Son Goku pushed Beerus that far.

At least Son Goku had lived up to his expectations, truly becoming a warrior capable of contending with the God of Destruction and letting him vent a great deal of resentment.

But strength of that level was still not enough to defeat Beerus the God of Destruction.

Now he only hoped that after Beerus the God of Destruction won this fight, he would spare Son Goku's life.

"Even Goku as he is now can't beat him? You... you've got to be kidding?!" Kibito Kai's eyes trembled violently. He could not imagine just how strong Beerus the God of Destruction was.

It seemed that no matter how strong his opponent was, the power he displayed was always far greater.

"Boy, you have a lot to learn. First, you need to understand one thing: never compare any powerful being to the God of Destruction, because in the end, you'll find that no one in this world can beat him."

"Use your brain and think carefully about why the God of Destruction has stood at the pinnacle of the world ever since the universe was born. Do you really think no one has challenged him over all that time?"

"Let me tell you, plenty of powerful fighters have challenged the God of Destruction, and many of them were stronger than Son Goku, but they all died at his hands in the end..."

Old Kai poured out everything he knew in one breath. He was mentally exhausted, showing just how desperate he was.

Son Goku's defeat was already certain.

On Earth.

Aboard the luxury cruise ship.

Everyone stared silently at the image projected by the staff, their hearts in their throats.

That terrifying explosion had swallowed both Beerus the God of Destruction and Son Goku.

Could it be that they were both dead?!

"I can't sense him... Goku's presence... it's completely gone..." Master Roshi was the first to break the silence.

"Dad...!!" Son Gohan gazed up at the sky, his heart beating faster as he grew restless.

He had always firmly believed that his father would create a miracle, and he absolutely refused to believe that Son Goku would die.

But now, the facts were before his eyes. Even someone as strong as him could not sense Son Goku's presence.

"I can't sense him... not even a little... Could Goku really be..." Krillin wanted to do something, but his clenched fists loosened.

What could he do?

He was just a weak, insignificant Earthling. The aftershock of the battle alone could crush him to death.

The warriors present kept using their senses to search for Son Goku's ki.

But no matter how they tried, they could not detect his presence. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

Are you really dead, Kakarot? Vegeta stood at the edge of the cruise ship, gazing at the sky as he too searched for Son Goku's ki as best he could.

His instincts told him that Son Goku was not dead. An aftershock of that level was not enough to kill him.

But if he was not dead, Vegeta should have been able to sense his presence with his strength, no matter how far apart they were. So why... had Son Goku's ki suddenly disappeared?

"You can all rest assured. An explosion of that level wasn't enough to kill Son Goku or Lord Beerus." Whis, who had finished enjoying his meal, wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin and stepped forward to explain.

As he spoke, everyone's eyes turned to him, hoping he could offer a reasonable explanation.

"The reason you can't sense Son Goku's presence is that you're still mortals."

"During his battle with Lord Beerus, Son Goku's body and soul were both elevated, and he became a god."

"Those who haven't reached the realm of the gods cannot sense a god's power."

Whis held nothing back, explaining with a faint smile.

At Whis's reminder, everyone came to a sudden realization.

It was not that Son Goku had died and his presence could no longer be sensed. Rather, Son Goku had transformed into a godlike being, and their realms as mortals were too low for them to sense him.

But they did not entirely trust Whis. After all, this man of unknown identity was on Beerus the God of Destruction's side.

"He's telling the truth," Piccolo suddenly interjected.

As a former demigod who had once been Kami, Piccolo had some ability to sense the power of gods.

Whis was not lying. Somehow, Piccolo could sense Son Goku's unfathomable God Ki.

Besides, someone as powerful as Whis had even less reason to deceive them.

"Keep watching. As long as we keep watching, we'll know the answer," Vegeta suddenly interjected.

In the universe.

At the edge of the North Galaxy.

The aftershock of the explosion of the supermassive star had completely dissipated.

Countless planetary remains and meteorite fragments filled the space.

Son Goku, in his Super Saiyan 4 God state, and Beerus the God of Destruction stood beneath the stars, facing each other from less than a hundred meters apart.

Son Goku was no longer what he had been.

Under the influence of the God of Destruction Power, he had broken through the shell of his latent potential, surpassed his own limits once again, and entered Super Saiyan 4: God State.

With the support of powerful God Ki, not only had his strength increased, but his level of existence had also been elevated.

He now had the ability to survive in the vacuum of space.

But as he stood on an ever-higher plane, his horizons broadened, and he saw more and more.

His understanding of the God of Destruction's power grew deeper as well.