Chapter 58

"Shut up, Marcarita!"

At Vermut's outburst, the flames of his anger finally erupted.

Of course he understood what Katakana's words meant, but what he didn't expect was just how recklessly this guy was courting death.

It was bad enough that he had a temperament similar to that arrogant Beerus, but now he dared challenge him, Vermut?

If he let this slide, how could he possibly hold his head up in the Gods of Destruction circle?

"Boy from Universe 7!"

"Do you realize what you just said was an act of disrespect toward a God of Destruction?"

"And even if my candidates aren't strong enough, does that give you the right to judge them?!"

Vermut's face darkened further, each word he spoke laced with the terrifying aura of a God of Destruction. If Katakana weren't as strong as he was, his legs might've already buckled from the pressure of Vermut's voice alone.

"I had no intention of teaching anyone a lesson. He was simply too confident and insisted on fighting me. In the end, he lost badly. He has no one to blame but himself."

Katakana responded indifferently, shaking his head.

In truth, this wasn't even Katakana's fault. He had only come to the Sacred World of the Kai to complete a sign-in task for his system.

But for some reason, Supreme Kai had summoned the entire Pride Troopers squad, who then proceeded to show off and pressure him.

In the end, they got their faces slapped by their own lack of strength.

How could that possibly be his fault?

"Sharp-tongued brat..."

"I'll give you two choices right now."

"First, kneel down and beg for mercy, if I'm feeling generous, I might let you crawl back to your universe."

"Second, I beat you until you're kneeling and begging, so you remember this for the rest of your life. Gods of Destruction aren't people you can insult and walk away from!"

Vermut's expression had become more and more twisted.

He had wanted to kill Katakana earlier, but once he realized this guy might be a candidate trained by Beerus, that murderous intent had subsided a bit.

After all, Beerus was known to do crazy things when provoked.

Even though Katakana had defeated Toppo and Jiren, and now spoke to him so arrogantly that it made him furious, Vermut still didn't want to fight if he could avoid it.

Because after Katakana easily blocked Jiren's full-power final attack, Vermut realized something important:

Even he, a God of Destruction, might struggle to beat this guy—especially without using Hakai (Destruction Energy).

Though Marcarita was obviously stirring the pot in hopes of seeing Katakana's hidden power, Vermut knew what she was up to.

If Katakana really was hiding some terrifying strength, and Vermut used Hakai but still couldn't win... it would be a massive humiliation!

His apprentices had already lost. If he, their master, also lost, it'd be a complete disaster.

Getting humiliated by your student's opponent? Yeah, no thanks.

"Kneel and beg for mercy?"

Pfft,

Katakana burst out laughing at Vermut's so-called two options.

What a joke. He was supposed to kneel to Vermut?

"You bastard... what are you laughing at?!"

Vermut clenched his fists as Katakana chuckled.

"Nothing. I just think you might not be fully awake, Vermut."

"Me? Kneel and beg? What a fucking joke."

"If you want to fight, then come on."

"But you might be the one kneeling in the end."

In Katakana's eyes, all of Vermut's ranting was just him trying to provoke a fight while being too scared to start one outright.

If you're scared, just say so. Don't beat around the bush like a clown.

Since he wants a fight, Katakana was more than happy to oblige.

"Heh... hoo hoo..."

"I wasn't expecting that, but this little guy's answer really caught me off guard!"

Even Marcarita couldn't help but laugh again.

But once Katakana said those words, it meant there was no turning back, this battle had to happen.

"You fool...!"

"You're the first one to ever insult a God of Destruction to this degree!"

"Don't think defeating Jiren makes you invincible!"

"You want death? Then I'll show you just how foolish you've been!"

The moment he finished, Vermut's eyes went icy cold.

And just like that, his divine power exploded out without restraint.

Fwoooosh!

Purple energy roared skyward like a volcano erupting, the pressure splitting the air.

Then, Vermut raised his arm, and over ten golden energy spheres instantly formed around him.

In the next instant, those golden spheres shot toward Katakana with terrifying speed.

The power in those orbs… each one carried the force of Jiren's final attack, or worse.

"So this is the technique of a God of Destruction?"

"Perfect. Just what I was hoping for!"

Katakana raised his arms, transforming them into energy blades, then with a sharp swing, sent shockwaves slicing through the air.

Boom!

The moment Katakana's light blades collided with the golden orbs, explosions erupted in every direction.

The resulting shockwave shook the entire protective barrier around them.

As the smoke and dust gradually cleared, Katakana slowly walked forward from the haze, completely unharmed.

His body was spotless. Vermut's grand attack hadn't left so much as a scratch.

"This guy... completely fine... how troublesome..."

Vermut narrowed his eyes, his expression stormy.

Was he really going to have to use the Power of Destruction?

But if even that failed... it would be humiliating beyond belief.

"Ooooooh!"

"Lord Vermut, your attacks don't seem to have done anything!"

"This little guy's way too strong. You'll need more than basic energy blasts!"

Marcarita had suddenly appeared at Vermut's side, whispering into his ear.

Of course, what she really meant was: Use Hakai. She wanted to see what was hidden in Katakana's body.

But how could she know the anxiety Vermut was wrestling with?

"Tch!"

"Spare me the commentary, Marcarita. I know exactly what I'm doing!"

Vermut shot her a glare.

Why was she so interested in Katakana's power?

Just how many secrets was this guy hiding...?