Raditz stood atop a crystalline outcropping, watching Beerus's battle unfold in the valley below. Whis stood beside him in comfortable silence, one hand clasped behind his back, that perpetual faint smile playing across his features as he observed his student testing himself against the two most powerful Saiyans Earth had ever produced.
Even facing the combined might of two Super Saiyan Blue warriors simultaneously, Beerus maintained absolute dominance. The God of Destruction moved with casual efficiency, suppressing their coordinated attacks with almost insulting ease. Where Goku and Vegeta poured everything into their assault—breathing hard, auras blazing with desperate intensity—Beerus looked like he was warming up for the real fight. His energy reserves remained virtually untapped, his movements relaxed and fluid.
The difference in their levels couldn't be more apparent.
As the battle intensified, Goku found himself driven backward step by step, his defensive guard crumbling under Beerus's relentless pressure. Vegeta attempted to exploit an opening and was immediately punished with a devastating counter-strike that sent him spinning through the air. The outcome had become inevitable—it was only a matter of time before both Saiyans collapsed from exhaustion.
"Oh my." Whis's scepter suddenly flared with brilliant light, the crystal orb at its tip pulsing with urgent energy. "We're receiving a transmission."
Raditz turned his attention from the battle below as an image materialized within the crystal—a figure whose mere presence seemed to command gravity itself.
Whis's expression shifted subtly, his usual playful demeanor replaced by something far more serious. He closed one eye and leaned forward to study the projection carefully. "Lord Grand Priest."
"Grand Priest?!" Raditz couldn't suppress his shocked exclamation.
He turned fully toward the crystal ball, and for a moment, his breath caught in his throat. There, displayed with perfect clarity despite the impossible distance, stood a figure of undeniable majesty. The Grand Priest's features carried timeless elegance—simultaneously young and ancient, benevolent and absolute. A divine halo of light radiated from behind him, visible even through the dimensional transmission. Though separated by vast cosmic distances, the sheer presence of his divine authority reached across space itself, pressing against Raditz's consciousness like an invisible hand.
The Grand Priest—Zeno's chief attendant, executive officer, and the administrator of all creation. This was a being whose power and complexity defied easy comprehension. Where Zeno possessed innocent omnipotence, the Grand Priest wielded meticulous intelligence, absolute rationality, and strategic genius. His combat capabilities reportedly exceeded even the Gods of Destruction—with only Zeno himself standing as a confirmed superior.
If Zeno could be persuaded or charmed with simple entertainment, the Grand Priest could not. He saw through deception instantly, calculated outcomes with perfect accuracy, and made decisions based on cosmic necessity rather than emotion.
The moment Raditz laid eyes on him, a single thought crystallized with terrible certainty: This is about the promise.
On the other side of the transmission, the Grand Priest's gaze shifted, focusing directly on Raditz with unsettling precision despite the distance and dimensional barriers between them.
"Whis," the Grand Priest said, his voice carrying melodious authority that somehow made even casual words sound like pronouncements. "That is the Raditz whom His Majesty has taken such interest in, correct? My, he does look remarkably young for someone who's accomplished so much."
"Yes, Lord Grand Priest," Whis replied with a respectful bow, his tone losing all traces of casual humor.
"Excellent. Please escort him to Zeno's Palace immediately. His Majesty wishes to see him."
Both Raditz and Whis spoke simultaneously, genuine surprise breaking through their usual composure: "Now?"
The Grand Priest's smile didn't waver. "Now."
The transmission cut off abruptly, leaving no room for discussion or negotiation. The light faded from Whis's scepter, returning them to the ambient radiance of the God of Destruction Realm.
Since time immemorial, Zeno's commands had held absolute authority—the highest law throughout all creation. No being, regardless of their power or position, could refuse. And orders conveyed by the Grand Priest carried equal weight, for they represented the Omni-King's will made manifest. To disobey was literally inconceivable.
After a moment of heavy silence, Whis turned to Raditz with an apologetic smile. "Well then. It seems we have an appointment we cannot miss. Shall we?"
Raditz released a long, slow breath, feeling resignation settle over him like a heavy cloak. "I suppose what has to come will come regardless." He squared his shoulders, forcing confidence into his posture. "Let's go. If I can keep Zeno entertained and satisfied, everything should work out fine."
I hope.
Light enveloped them both as Whis activated his transportation ability. In an instant, they transformed into a brilliant streak that shot upward through the realm's atmosphere and vanished into the cosmic void beyond.
Down in the valley, Beerus had been preparing to end the sparring session when that flash of departing light caught his attention. His eyes tracked the luminous trail automatically, curiosity pulling his focus away for just a fraction of a second.
Where are they going in such a hurry?
WHAM!
The distraction cost him. Goku's fist, charged with every ounce of Super Saiyan Blue power he could muster, connected solidly with Beerus's cheek. The impact generated a shockwave that rippled outward in concentric circles, and the God of Destruction actually moved—his head snapping to the side as he was knocked backward several dozen meters.
For a moment, everyone froze in disbelief.
Goku stared at his own fist with wide-eyed shock, as though it belonged to someone else. I... I actually hit him? His face transformed into an expression of pure, childlike joy. He'd landed a clean strike on a God of Destruction! That alone made all the brutal training worthwhile!
Then reality reasserted itself with devastating force.
A tremendous power erupted from Beerus's position—not just energy, but wrath given physical form. The recoil hit Goku like a tsunami, his triumphant expression transforming instantly into horror as Beerus's aura exploded outward with apocalyptic fury. The purple-black energy didn't just push—it consumed, engulfing Goku completely and lifting him off his feet.
"You dare strike me while I'm distracted?!" Beerus's voice thundered across the realm, carrying a promise of suffering.
The ground beneath them detonated. An inverted cone-shaped crater erupted outward and downward simultaneously, earth and stone vaporizing under the pressure of Beerus's rage. The shockwave expanded in all directions, reshaping the landscape with casual brutality.
Vegeta, who'd been rushing forward to capitalize on what he thought was an opening, suddenly found himself caught in the same catastrophic explosion. His confident charge transformed into a helpless tumble as the destructive force swept over him.
BOOM!
Smoke and dust billowed upward in towering columns, obscuring everything. For several seconds, no sound emerged except the rumble of settling debris. The air itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then Beerus emerged from the smoke screen like a vengeful deity.
He stepped out of the massive crater with perfect poise, not a single speck of dust marring his appearance. His landing was feather-light, his expression having shifted from fury back to cold satisfaction. He'd made his point.
At the center of the crater, Goku lay sprawled on his back, Beerus's handprint clearly visible across his face where he'd been smashed directly into the ground. A few meters away, Vegeta had also been flattened, Beerus's footprint embedded in his abdomen like a brand.
The message was clear: Beerus had counterattacked and subdued both warriors simultaneously, moving at speeds that transcended their ability to perceive or defend against. The power of a God of Destruction far exceeded even Super Saiyan Blue. The gap between them remained an unbridgeable chasm.
Spotless and composed, Beerus looked up toward the sky where Whis and Raditz had disappeared, his irritation fading into genuine curiosity. "Hmm. Where did those two rush off to in such a hurry?"
Zeno's Palace existed in a space beyond conventional universe.
It occupied a vast, illusory dimension that seemed to float in an endless void. Outside its crystalline walls, the cosmos spread out in all directions—every star, every galaxy, every universe visible simultaneously in a display of impossible perspective. Twelve distinct universal clusters could be identified if one knew where to look, each one containing its own Gods of Destruction, Supreme Kais, and countless mortal realms.
This was the apex of all creation. From this singular point, Zeno observed and governed everything that existed. Here, the Omni-King presided over the eternal cycles of growth and decay, creation and destruction, life and death that defined the multiverse.
Raditz had never seen anything like it—and the sight struck him with profound emotional impact. His body trembled involuntarily, though he couldn't quite identify whether it was from awe at the magnificent scene or from the crushing weight of isolation the place represented. Standing here, he felt his own insignificance with painful clarity. He was a single consciousness in an infinite expanse, a brief flicker of awareness against the eternal.
And he couldn't imagine how lonely it must be for Zeno, sitting at the center of everything yet fundamentally separate from it all. What did eternity feel like when you stood above everything? When you commanded all but connected with none?
How do you bear it?
"You've arrived." A voice materialized from the void itself—soft yet omnipresent, gentle yet absolute.
The Grand Priest emerged from Zeno's Palace with measured steps, moving toward them with calm, unhurried grace. His green robes flowed around him despite the absence of wind, and his hands remained clasped behind his back in a posture of relaxed authority. That subtle smile never wavered from his features, projecting an image of serene confidence that spoke to his supreme position in the cosmic hierarchy.
Whis immediately bent at the waist in formal acknowledgment. Raditz quickly followed suit, bowing deeply.
"Lord Grand Priest," they said in unison.
"This is our first meeting face-to-face, Raditz." The Grand Priest's tone remained perfectly neutral—neither warm nor cold, merely... present. "I've heard extensive reports about you from both Whis and Vados. Even His Majesty speaks of you with unusual enthusiasm. You are quite the miraculous individual." He gestured toward the palace entrance. "Please, follow me."
Raditz had learned long ago that the most powerful beings often demonstrated the greatest humility—not from weakness, but from supreme confidence. At the Grand Priest's level of existence, he had no need to project intimidation or display dominance. His very presence spoke volumes. He could make visitors feel welcomed and valued with gentle courtesy...
And with equal ease, he could erase Gods of Destruction from existence with a casual gesture, all while maintaining that same pleasant smile.
The scariest thing, Raditz thought as he followed the Grand Priest into the palace, is that his expression probably wouldn't change at all when he did it.
"Thank you for the invitation, Lord Grand Priest," Raditz said, channeling every lesson Shin and the Old Kai had tried to drill into him about proper divine etiquette. If they could see him now, maintaining perfect formal composure in the presence of the Grand Priest himself, they'd probably cry tears of proud relief.
The Grand Priest led them through corridors that defied conventional architecture. The palace was simultaneously massive and intimate, ancient and timeless. Towering columns lined both sides of the main avenue, their surfaces carved with relief sculptures depicting the gods of past ages—Supreme Kais and Gods of Destruction from eons long vanished, their forms preserved in stone as monuments to cosmic history.
Beyond the columns, reality itself seemed to fracture into infinite possibilities. Vast illusions stretched in every direction, radiant and psychedelic and mysterious, like peering into multiple cosmic dimensions simultaneously. The ceiling above displayed a dome of stars that moved in patterns no natural sky could produce—galaxies swirling in time-lapse, entire universal clusters rotating around unseen gravitational centers.
And beyond even that stellar dome, through some impossible transparency, stretched a pale blue vastness that might have been sky or might have been something else entirely. Everything converged there, all light and energy flowing toward some central point of infinite gravity.
The sacred atmosphere was so intense it nearly suffocated Raditz. He found himself holding his breath without realizing it, as though normal respiration might somehow disturb the cosmic balance.
Finally, after what felt like both seconds and hours, the corridor ended.
A massive throne dominated the far end of the chamber, crafted from materials that seemed to exist partially in multiple dimensions at once. On either side stood Zeno's personal guards—those tall, slender beings with serious expressions and watchful eyes. They hadn't moved a muscle since Raditz entered, their discipline absolute as they performed their eternal vigil.
And on the throne itself, looking almost comically small against its grand scale, sat Zeno.
The Omni-King rested his chin in one hand, his expression distant and unfocused. He might have been contemplating matters of cosmic significance... or he might have simply been daydreaming. With Zeno, it was genuinely impossible to tell the difference.
"Your Majesty!" The Grand Priest, Whis, and Raditz all bowed in perfect synchronization, their voices echoing through the vast chamber.
The call finally drew Zeno's attention. His blank eyes focused, brightening with recognition. He suddenly leaped from his throne with childlike energy and ran toward them—actually breaking into a trot that caught even his guards by surprise.
Everyone froze in shock. This wasn't protocol. This wasn't how the Omni-King typically conducted himself. What was happening?
Zeno came to a stop directly in front of Raditz, looking up at the much taller Saiyan with undisguised delight. Then he extended his small hand with a warm smile. "Hey, Raditz! You can stand up now. No need to be so formal!"
Stunned silence gripped the chamber.