Chapter 59

"Marcarita, what exactly is the power you sensed in this guy?"

God of Destruction Vermut shot an anxious glance at Marcarita, his voice tense. He had known her for a long time, but he had never seen her take such a keen interest in someone. That only made him more suspicious about the mysterious energy Katakana possessed.

"I'm not entirely sure myself, Lord Vermut," the angel Marcarita replied with a slight pout. "If I knew, would I have gone through all this trouble to push you into forcing him to reveal it? Really now, Lord, why are you acting so timid today?"

"Tch…"

Vermut clicked his tongue in frustration. His expression darkened as he mulled over whether or not to unleash his destructive power.

"What's wrong, Vermut? That last attack of yours wasn't bad, but honestly, it didn't seem any stronger than Jiren's."

"O great God of Destruction, is this really all the strength you've got? What a disappointment."

Katakana let out a mocking sigh when he saw Vermut hesitate to act.

"You little…!"

"You dare mock a God of Destruction?! You're courting death!"[T/N: 😂]

Vermut's face twisted with rage. The next moment, he transformed into a streak of purple light and launched himself at Katakana, aiming a heavy punch straight at his cheek.

But Katakana didn't panic. In fact, a wild grin spread across his face.

"Perfect! Let's see how strong a God of Destruction really is!"

With that, he tensed his arms and threw a punch to meet Vermut's strike.

BOOM!

Their fists collided, sending out a massive shockwave that shook the protective barrier enclosing the battlefield. Both fighters were forced back, Katakana staggered back a hundred steps, while Vermut only a few dozen.

Though it seemed like Vermut had the upper hand, he didn't look pleased at all. Instead, his expression grew colder.

He was a God of Destruction from Universe 11, yet he had been pushed back by a mortal from Universe 7. That alone was humiliating.

"This guy…"

Vermut stared at Katakana, his fists clenched so tightly they crackled.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Katakana appeared in front of him and struck with a powerful punch.

Bang!

Though Vermut blocked it, he still had to take two steps back.

"What's wrong, Vermut? Don't tell me that's all you've got."

As he taunted, Katakana unleashed a flurry of punches, forcing Vermut to defend under a barrage of relentless strikes.

"Bastard!"

Vermut roared and landed a solid blow to Katakana's chest, sending him flying several hundred meters. Katakana managed to right himself in midair, then wiped a smudge from the corner of his mouth.

"Nice hit. Now this is getting fun. Stop holding back, Vermut!"

"Very well!"

Vermut's eyes burned with fury.

"If you insist on dying so badly, then I'll grant your wish!"

"Don't think defeating a God of Destruction candidate makes you invincible. I'll show you the true terror of a God of Destruction!"

As his words fell, the purple aura around him ignited like a flame, darkening into a deep, oppressive violet.

Whoosh!

The destructive energy surged toward the sky like an apocalyptic firestorm, and the overwhelming pressure made it hard to breathe.

This, was the Power of Destruction.

Vermut stopped hesitating. He knew now: Katakana would never back down, and ordinary attacks would never be enough to beat him.

Defeating Jiren was proof enough that Katakana's strength could rival, or even surpass, his own.

So to win, there was only one option left, use the absolute trump card of a God of Destruction.

The Power of Destruction.

This had to end quickly.

No matter what secrets Katakana was hiding, if he died, those secrets died with him.

Even if he had to deal with Beerus's fury later, Vermut was ready. Worst case? Let the matter go to Zeno. At that point, everyone would be in trouble.

"Vanish."

"Destruction!"

Vermut narrowed his eyes. A basketball-sized ball of purple energy appeared in his palm.

This was the power to obliterate anything within the laws of the universe.

No one could resist it, not mortals, not planets, not even time itself.

"Lord Vermut finally used the power of destruction! I wonder if Katakana will finally reveal the energy he's been hiding…"

"How exciting!"

Marcarita's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

As an Angel, she knew better than anyone what the Power of Destruction meant. Nothing, nothing, could withstand it.

If Katakana didn't unleash that hidden energy now, he'd be annihilated.

"The Power of Destruction, huh?"

"Too bad, Vermut. As powerful as it is… it doesn't work on me."

Katakana gazed calmly at the glowing sphere in Vermut's hand.

The destructive energy that was said to erase anything, it had no effect on him.

"What nonsense! The Power of Destruction can annihilate everything. Nothing in existence can resist it!"

Vermut sneered coldly.

"Unless… unless you've also mastered the Power of Destruction…"

He stopped mid-sentence.

His pupils shrank.

A thin sheen of sweat broke across his forehead.

Because in that moment, Katakana began to emit a faint aura of destructive energy.

"The Power of Destruction isn't exclusive to you."

As Katakana spoke, he raised his own right hand, and in his palm, an identical ball of destruction energy began to form.