"Bastard, you've completely pissed me off!"
God of Destruction Vermut roared.
He couldn't believe it, he, a dignified God of Destruction, was being beaten back by a mere human. That thought sent his emotions spiraling out of control.
At the same time, his body emitted a low, pained growl.
"Shit…"
"That stance… could it be that Lord Vermut is about to use that move?"
Angel Marcarita's expression turned serious the moment she noticed the change in Vermut's aura.
That posture, it could only mean one thing. Vermut was about to unleash his ultimate trump card.
If he really used that technique, things would get dangerous, very dangerous. She wasn't sure even her protective barrier could withstand what was coming.
"Lord Vermut, please stop! You must not use that move!"
"You know what it would mean to use it in this situation!"
Marcarita rushed to his side, urging him anxiously.
But Vermut barked back:
"Enough with the nonsense!"
"I don't need you to tell me what to do, Marcarita! That bastard humiliated me, he'll pay for it! Even if it costs me half the universe, I'll make him regret ever crossing a God of Destruction!"
With that, Vermut spread his legs and took a stance.
"Haaaaah…!"
With a thunderous growl, he unleashed the seal placed on his power.
A massive surge of energy erupted from his body.
His skin turned a glowing, unnatural purple. His eyes burned with fluorescent light. His entire form became eerie, inhuman.
Angel Marcarita could only sigh and turn away.
She had said everything she could.
Whether Vermut listened or not wasn't up to her. As an Angel, her role was to assist and advise, not command. Gods of Destruction outranked her in authority.
And now that Vermut had made his choice…
All she could do was strengthen the barrier.
With a wave of her staff, a pale blue light curtain formed, layering over the previous one.
She had now released two super-barriers, the most even a powerful Angel like her could manage.
Still, she wasn't confident they'd be enough.
The sheer scale of power between these two fighters was beyond anything she had ever seen.
"Looks like some kind of seal's been lifted…"
Katakana rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he watched Vermut's transformation from a distance.
He had assumed Vermut had reached his limit, but of course not. He was a proper God of Destruction, after all.
And unlike the weaker Gods like Champa, Vermut was near the top.
It made sense he still had hidden power.
"Good. This just got interesting."
"Maybe I'll break through even further mid-fight…"
Katakana clenched his fists, anticipation surging in his chest.
Fighting Jiren had taught him a lot, and now, facing Vermut, he could feel himself evolving even more.
The stronger Vermut got, the more excited Katakana became.
"HAAAAH!!"
Vermut roared again, and a torrent of deep purple spiritual energy burst from his body like a wildfire.
His aura flared like a sword drawn from its sheath, razor-sharp and seething with malice.
Katakana stood firm, now deadly serious.
He couldn't afford a single misstep.
This version of Vermut, unsealed, enraged, was a real threat. A single slip could mean defeat.
With a shout of his own, Katakana's rose-purple aura exploded to full power, reaching high into the sky and clashing with Vermut's dark purple energy.
Their energies collided in mid-air, like two rival kings refusing to yield.
Then,
"!!"
"Whoosh!"
They vanished at the same time.
In the sky above, two streaks of light, one rose-purple, one dark violet, began to collide at impossible speeds.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Each strike caused shockwaves to ripple through the heavens.
Sonic booms echoed nonstop, one after another, as they exchanged blow after blow.
The inner protective barrier began to creak and groan.
Crack… crack…
Fine lines of fracture crawled across its surface, It could break at any second.
"They're too fast…"
Marcarita furrowed her brow.
She hadn't expected her barrier to deteriorate this quickly. And there was still one more layer left.
But how long would it hold?
The battle raged on for three full hours.
Though both fighters were burning through stamina rapidly, neither showed signs of giving in.
They refused to yield.
"Damn it…"
"Unsealing my power boosts my strength, but the energy drain is intense. At this rate, I won't just lose… I'll burn out completely!"
Vermut gritted his teeth.
His frustration was immeasurable.
Why had he even come to watch this match?
And now, forced into this ridiculous fight with a monster like Katakana … and still couldn't beat him?
What would happen to his reputation as a God of Destruction?
Worse yet, when he glanced at Katakana,
That freak didn't even look tired.
He was fighting harder, faster, stronger, as if the battle itself was making him evolve.
"What kind of monster IS this kid?!"
"What's wrong, Vermut?" Katakana called out with a smirk. "Running out of gas? Or just getting scared?"
Even Katakana hadn't expected how efficient his rose-purple energy would be.
The energy consumption was surprisingly low, especially compared to the more draining peach-red form.
And despite using his full power form, Katakana felt fine.
His body felt stronger the longer he fought.
"Damn you!" Vermut's forehead bulged with rage. "I, Vermut, will NEVER lose to a Mortal!"
The God of Destruction screamed in fury.
His aura surged once more.
Then, behind him, a massive ball of destructive energy began to form.
It grew fast, in the span of a single breath, it had swelled to the size of a small moon.