Frieza knew, with absolute certainty, that he'd just committed another spectacularly stupid blunder.
He hadn't intended to act so rashly—truly, he hadn't. But the Dragon Balls hanging there like forbidden fruit had proven too tempting to resist. And when Zeno's sudden appearance had thrown everyone into chaos, some reckless part of his mind had whispered: Now. While they're all distracted. This is your chance.
So he'd slipped away from the group, positioning himself directly beneath the seven massive orbs suspended in the void. His plan had been simple: use the summoning incantation he'd worked so hard to acquire, wish for immortality, and finally—finally—eliminate the gnawing fear that had haunted him since his resurrection.
The Dragon Balls were supposed to be omnipotent, after all. One wish, and he'd never need to fear anyone again. He was already immensely powerful, yes, but in this vast universe, there remained one or two... no, perhaps three or four beings who could still destroy him. Once he achieved immortality, even Beerus himself would be unable to erase him from existence!
With that sweet dream burning in his heart, Frieza had shouted the incantation toward the Dragon Balls, his voice carrying across the void with desperate hope.
Then... nothing.
The silence that followed was utterly devastating. No flash of light. No trembling of cosmic power. No divine dragon materializing from the spheres. Just his own voice echoing mockingly back at him—and the sudden, unmistakable sensation of dozens of eyes boring into his back like physical daggers.
He turned slowly, his confident expression crumbling into barely concealed horror. Raditz and the others stared at him with expressions ranging from amusement to outright hostility, pinning him in place like a butterfly mounted on display.
Frieza had seen enough of the universe to recognize failure when it stared him in the face. Years of experience with various Dragon Ball sets had taught him exactly what a successful summoning looked like—the flash, the earthquake of power, the magnificent emergence of the wish-granting dragon. This had been none of those things.
He'd failed. Completely and utterly.
"Well, well, Frieza." Beerus's voice cut through the silence like a blade, his expression darkening into something genuinely dangerous. "What exactly do you think you're doing over there? Don't tell me..." His eyes narrowed to slits. "You weren't trying to use the Dragon Balls without permission, were you?"
"No! No, no, no, absolutely not!" Frieza's hands waved frantically in front of him, his usual composure shattering. "I would never even consider such a thing! You misunderstand completely!"
"Even if you'd tried," Raditz said with a cold smile, "it wouldn't have mattered. The Super Dragon Balls can only be summoned using the language of the gods. You're not exactly qualified for that, are you?"
Of course Raditz had seen through his intentions. In truth, this was precisely why Raditz had never bothered to closely guard Frieza around the Super Dragon Balls. Without knowledge of the divine language, anyone who collected all seven orbs would still be utterly helpless to use them.
Frieza's smile twisted into something grotesque—caught between forced pleasantness and barely suppressed rage. Internally, he cursed every being present with creative viciousness. Language of the gods?! his mind screamed. Even dragons have a damned class system in this universe?!
In the span of heartbeats, his dream of immortality had evaporated like morning dew. His chest ached with the loss, but worse still was the growing unease creeping through him. The tournament had concluded. Which meant his value—his protection—was effectively gone. Nearly half the people here viewed him as an enemy at best, and at least a few would happily kill him given the opportunity. Vegeta's gaze in particular carried unmistakable hostile intent, as though the Saiyan prince was merely waiting for the right moment to strike.
Frieza's tail curled defensively around his legs. I need to be very, very careful from here on out.
"Alright, enough chatter!" Beerus interrupted the tension with characteristic impatience, stepping forward eagerly. "It's time for me to collect on my victory. Let's make that wish!"
The defeated Universe 6 contingent, however, had no desire to linger for this final indignity. Champa's face remained dark with disappointment, his posture radiating dejection. Watching Beerus claim his prize would only deepen the wound of loss.
Vados stepped forward with a graceful bow, her smile sympathetic but professional. "We'll be taking our leave now. Congratulations on your victory, Universe Seven."
Fuwa and the Universe 6 fighters followed suit, offering brief farewells before departing through the shimmering portal Vados created. Within moments, they'd vanished completely, leaving only Universe 7 to witness the wish-granting ceremony.
The seven Super Dragon Balls hung suspended in the void like miniature planets—which, in truth, they were. Each massive orb glowed with inner fire, the orange-red stars within them seeming to flow like molten lava. The radiance cast warm light across everyone's faces, painting them in shades of crimson and gold.
Standing within the protective cube, the assembled warriors and gods gazed up at the unprecedented sight with open awe. Even those who'd seen conventional Dragon Balls before found themselves speechless at the sheer scale of these cosmic artifacts.
Whis stepped forward with characteristic grace, his staff glowing softly. "Very well, Lord Beerus. Shall I summon the dragon on your behalf?"
"Yes, yes! Get on with it!" Beerus bounced slightly on his feet, barely containing his excitement.
Whis nodded serenely and began speaking in a language that transcended mortal comprehension—syllables that resonated with the fundamental fabric of reality itself. The divine words flowed from him like music, each phrase carrying weight and power that ordinary speech could never achieve.
The moment the incantation concluded, all seven Dragon Balls blazed with simultaneous brilliance.
The light was blinding—as though seven suns had suddenly ignited in the void, their combined radiance painting the entire sector of space in shades of molten gold. Stars that had shone for billions of years seemed to dim by comparison, their ancient light overwhelmed by this cosmic phenomenon.
"This is... incredible..." The words died in dozens of throats, awe rendering speech inadequate.
Compared to these titanic orbs, Earth's Dragon Balls were like grains of sand. Even Namek's set, which had seemed impossibly large and powerful, appeared minuscule beside the Super Dragon Balls.
The light continued to intensify, growing impossibly brighter. Then, from within that radiance, something began to take shape.
A dragon emerged.
But calling Super Shenron merely a "dragon" was like calling a galaxy "a collection of stars"—technically accurate yet utterly insufficient. The being that materialized from the converging light was cosmic in scale, its body stretching across the void for what must have been light-years. Golden scales rippled with power that violated every natural law, each one gleaming like a condensed star. The dragon's form illuminated the surrounding space so brilliantly that entire planetary systems were temporarily cast in its glow.
Super Shenron opened his massive jaws and released a sound that somehow propagated through the vacuum of space—a deep, resonant roar that seemed to vibrate through the very souls of those present. His enormous wings unfurled, and their movement caused visible ripples in the fabric of spacetime itself. Nearby asteroids trembled. Distant nebulae swirled in response. Stardust scattered like glitter around his divine form, creating a halo of impossible beauty.
When Super Shenron spoke, his voice carried across dimensions, reaching every being present simultaneously despite the physics-defying impossibility of sound in vacuum.
"SPEAK YOUR WISH. ANY DESIRE CAN BE GRANTED."
Beerus glanced at Raditz, his expression shifting between pride and something almost resembling embarrassment. He shot the Saiyan Supreme Kai a warning glare that clearly communicated: Don't you dare reveal this to anyone.
Raditz suppressed a smile and nodded understanding. He knew the language of the gods well enough to comprehend Beerus's wish—and yes, it was rather endearing in its simplicity. The God of Destruction had a softer side after all.
Beerus cleared his throat and spoke his wish in the divine tongue, his voice carrying surprisingly gentle tones for such a fearsome deity.
Super Shenron's eyes flared with golden light. "YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED."
One final burst of radiance exploded outward—so intense that everyone instinctively closed their eyes or shielded their faces. The light washed over them like a warm wave, carrying with it the sensation of cosmic forces reshaping reality according to divine will.
When the brilliance finally faded and they dared to open their eyes again, Super Shenron had vanished. The seven massive Dragon Balls were already scattering, each one shooting off in different directions to hide themselves across the vast expanse of Universes 6 and 7. They would remain scattered, waiting to be collected again by whoever possessed the determination and power to gather them.
"Wait, that's it?" Goku blinked in confusion, still seeing afterimages of golden light. "What wish did Lord Beerus make?"
"Hmph! That's none of your concern!" Beerus's face flushed slightly, his ears flattening against his head. "Some things are private, Goku!"
"But I'm curious! Can't you just—"
"No!" Beerus whirled toward the cube's controls, clearly eager to escape further questions. "Whis! Take us home immediately!"
The God of Destruction leaped to the top of the cube and settled into a cross-legged position with exaggerated dignity. He shot one more warning glare at Raditz—a look that clearly said you breathe one word of this and I'll destroy something you value.
Raditz smiled helplessly, shaking his head. For all his power and bluster, Beerus really is just a big tsundere at heart.
Meanwhile, Universe 6's cube hurtled through the interdimensional tunnel at impossible speeds. Multicolored light streaked past the transparent walls, creating hypnotic patterns that blurred the boundary between space and time. The path stretched endlessly in both directions—infinite forward momentum, infinite trailing distance.
Inside the cube, Champa sat with his arms folded across his chest, his face still locked in a thunderous scowl. The sting of defeat hadn't lessened despite the passing time. His fighters kept their distance, clustering in the far corner and speaking in hushed whispers. Even Hit, normally confident and composed, had positioned himself separately—hands in his pockets, gaze distant, clearly lost in contemplation of what he'd witnessed.
That power Raditz displayed, Hit thought, replaying the battle in his mind. That transcendence of normal combat... Time Skip alone won't be enough. I need to evolve further.
Suddenly, Vados straightened, her staff's crystal orb pulsing with responsive light. This particular reaction only occurred when significant cosmic forces had been manipulated—the kind of power shift that warranted an angel's attention.
"Lord Champa," she said, her tone mixing amusement with genuine interest. "We have a development you should see."
Champa barely glanced her way, his sullen mood rendering him dismissive. "What is it now?"
Vados's smile widened as she manipulated the staff's viewing function, projecting an image of a blue-green planet that gleamed like a jewel against the void. "Observe."
Champa's eyes flicked to the projection with obvious disinterest. A water-rich planet—beautiful, certainly, but Universe 6 contained countless such worlds. Nothing special. "So what? I'm not in the mood for sightseeing."
"Look more carefully, Lord Champa." Vados's voice carried barely suppressed mirth. "This is Earth. Our Earth. And I've just detected that life across the entire planet has been restored—including, of course, the humans with their delightful food culture."
Champa froze mid-breath.
His eyes snapped back to the projection, scanning the planet with sudden intensity. Clouds swirled in familiar patterns. Oceans teemed with renewed life. And somewhere down there, humans were once again creating the culinary wonders that had driven him to such desperate measures.
"Hmph." Champa's scowl didn't quite fade, but something softened in his expression—a barely perceptible easing of the tension around his eyes. "What a meddlesome fool."
There was no question who'd made that wish. Only Beerus would have done something so characteristically contradictory—spending his hard-won victory on a gift for his rival rather than something selfish. The two brothers had been bickering since childhood, their relationship defined by constant competition and mutual antagonism. Yet beneath all the arguing, the grudges, the petty contests...
They cared.
"Take us home," Champa said quietly, his tone losing its earlier sharpness. He lay back on the cube's floor, letting the cool surface press against his back. The sensation reminded him of lying in grass—specifically, the grass where he and Beerus used to play hide-and-seek countless eons ago, when they'd been young and the weight of divine responsibility hadn't yet settled on their shoulders.
The corners of his mouth twitched upward into the faintest smile.
You stubborn, prideful, infuriating fool of a brother, Champa thought with something approaching fondness. Always have to have the last word, don't you?
But this time, he didn't mind losing the exchange.
As the cube continued its journey home, Champa closed his eyes and let himself feel something he rarely acknowledged—gratitude, and perhaps even happiness.
After all, there would be delicious food waiting when they arrived.
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