"My god is all gods in one. When I see a beautiful sunset, I worship the god of Nature; when I see a hidden action brought to light, I worship the god of Truth; when I see a bad man punished and a good man go free, I worship the god of Justice; when I see a penitent forgiven, I worship the god of Mercy."

-Edna St. Vincent Millay

"Yesterday, Champa-sama was the god of pizza. Today, he is the god of steamed buns."

-Vados

DRAGON BALL EXODUS

Interlude – The Divine Wager

This is a work of fanfiction, using characters from the Dragon Ball series, and is intended to be seen as a hypothetical continuation of the anime version of Dragon Ball Super (immediately following the Tournament of Power). All characters and settings in this work that are not original are the property of the owners of the Dragon Ball franchise.

SIGMA TWELVE

Summer was ending, but the sun had refused to admit it. In the shade of a large pine tree, ignoring the insects buzzing around, the alien known as Jiren was meditating. He had reached a true state of peace, a rarity since the Tournament, when something vibrated in his pocket. His communicator buzzed twice, and then went silent. Jiren ignored it. It then buzzed twice more. He still ignored it. The third time it went off, he removed the device from his pocket and scowled at it. Without warning, the screen activated.

"Pride Trooper Jiren," an odd mechanical voice came from the speakers. A dark, almost featureless face appeared on the screen. "Would you be interested in a mutually beneficial exchange?"

"Twelve," Jiren said. "You broke into my communicator."

"You are currently in a wilderness region and alone. I had no other way of contacting you," Twelve said.

"Technically, still a crime," Jiren said, eyes narrowing. Twelve's face suddenly disappeared, replaced by a long list of documents with a stylized watermark of Goku readying a Kamehameha.

"Several terabytes of tactical observation regarding the fighting style of Son Goku," Twelve said. "This is what I am willing to offer you."

"That is… interesting," Jiren admitted. I have obtained his attention, although with less haste than I prefer. There is a game that I suspect was inadvertently forgotten. I believe that the next move was mine. "And in return?"

There is only one reason to play a game: to win.

GOKU

The setting sun sent warm rays through the leaves, with the wind blew at a gentle pace. A sudden noise caused a flock of birds to erupt from a tree, and then the tree itself trembled and shed a torrent of reddish-yellow leaves. Again, and again, and again across the forest, the noises sounded and more fiery leaves were ejected into the air. The cause of the disturbance was two men, locked in combat, shedding golden light that filtered through the drifting motes of red. Finally, panting for breath, both fighters stopped and regarded each other. He's good. Really good. It's not just power either, he's extremely skilled. And he improvises almost as fast as I do.

"Sheesh, Koara," Goku said. The two of them had been sparring in Super Saiyan for the last hour or so. Goku had been hard-pressed to keep up, to the point where he'd found himself transforming into Super Saiyan 2 just to break even. He's admitted that he only has one transformation, but it's really powerful. "I'm pretty impressed. I don't think you'll have a problem beating up bad guys in Universe Eleven."

"Heh. I was dealing with that trash long before I joined the Troopers," Koara replied. The older Saiyan had already recovered his stamina, and looked ready for another round. "I don't need any fancy upgrades to take them down, just enough energy to do the job."

"The basics are important," Goku agreed. "Want to keep going?"

"Sure. But, I want to ask a favor," Koara said. Goku nodded. "Show me the Super Saiyan God. I don't care if I get beat up, I want to experience it for myself."

"Are you really sure?" Goku asked apprehensively. "It's way more powerful than your Super Saiyan form."

"Did I stutter?" Koara asked, grinning. Goku shook his head, amused. With a shout, his aura went red and intensified. He felt himself lightening as the godly ki surged through him, trading mass for raw divine power. With surprise, he looked up to see disappointment on Koara's face. "Your ki disappeared. I guess that makes sense, but I was hoping to see it for myself."

"I'll tell you what," Goku said, assuming his regular stance. "How about I just show you what it can do?"

Without waiting for an answer, a red blur shot forward and landed a crushing blow into Koara's solar plexus. The bald Saiyan choked, eyes suddenly flickering from blue to black. He landed on his knees, quivering and trying not to vomit.

"That was one shot," Goku said.

"That… was… a sucker punch," Koara wheezed.

"You asked for it," Goku said. Koara stood and shook the dirt off of his uniform. In an eyeblink, his golden aura returned with the same strength as before. He entered into a fighting stance that Goku recognized – a defensive form he'd seen used by both Top and Dyspo. Is this one common in their universe, or is it a Pride Trooper thing? Either way, it's pretty effective. I like the Kame school defensive stances better though. "Okay. This time I'll make sure not to sucker punch you. Five. Four. Three. Two. One and one half. One and one quarter. One and one-"

This time, it was Koara who landed the surprise blow. With the reflexes of the God form, Goku saw the attack coming as soon as Koara committed to it. That's… actually not going to hurt me. Huh. Okay, let's let him land it. The blow rammed into Goku's ribs at an obscenely high velocity, emitting a shockwave from the impact. For just a second, the two Saiyans stood still, and then Koara dropped to one knee and started furiously rubbing at his swelling hand.

"Shit. Shit. Shit. Yep. You're a god," Koara said. He looked down at his fist, which was now swollen and purple. "Great, now I look like Top. I'll have to ask Marcarita to heal this."

"You didn't break anything, did you?" Goku asked, totally unharmed.

"I don't think so," Koara said. He stood back up, gingerly cradling his injured hand. "You know, I figured you'd be beating me up, not me injuring myself. I feel a little stupid."

"You attacked a Super Saiyan God, knowing what would happen," Goku said with a smirk. "Go ahead and feel stupid for a little while."

"Yeah, thanks," Koara said sarcastically.

"You are both correct – that was stupid," a deep, flat voice came from the trees around them. They turned to find Jiren, Dyspo, and the rest of the Pride Troopers… with one exception.

"Where's Top?" Goku asked.

"He rescued some girl during the battle," Dyspo said. "I think he went to visit her at the hospital. You might be surprised; the boss is a sucker for kids."

"A god of destruction candidate who likes children?" Koara asked with a dubious expression.

"Belmod-sama likes kids too, actually," Dyspo said. "Keeps a pack of balloons in his back pocket, makes animal shapes with them."

"Wait, really?" Goku asked, looking delighted. Dyspo just looked at him a moment, and then started laughing.

"Of course not," Jiren said, stone-faced. "Son Goku. We have time for one sparring match. I suggest we make the best of it."

"Ooh, now this will be worth seeing," Koara said, backing off through the trees. The remaining Pride Troopers did as well, fanning out to provide a loose circle for the fighters.

"Push yourself to your maximum, and I will match your power," Jiren said. "We will have a contest of skill."

"That works for me," Goku said. His voice sounded odd and distant as reality began to waver around his form, the potential of each moment burned into a shining steel-gray haze. When his aura stabilized, Goku could feel the calm of the form, as well as its considerable power draw. "I can only access the first Sign of Ultra Instinct at will. I really wish I could show you the rest, but I think I'd have to be in mortal danger to even have a chance of seeing it."

"That is acceptable," Jiren said. The rest of the Pride Troopers leaned forward to confirm what they were seeing: Jiren was actually smiling. "I have seen it. This will work for now."

"Is it me, or is he just happy to have someone really powerful to fight?" Koara quietly asked Dyspo.

"That's exactly it. Jiren doesn't get challenged much these days," Dyspo replied. "I know he can beat Top. I know for a fact he's beaten Belmod-sama."

"He's more powerful than Goku as well," Koara said. "At least, I think he is. I can't sense Goku's power."

"That's Jiren for you," Dyspo said, shrugging. "Loner, loose cannon, more powerful than most gods. Still the guy you want on your team, though – whatever he decides to do is usually effective, and that gives us victories and saves lives."

Any further words were drowned out as a silver-on-grey blur erupted in the midst of the circle. Hurriedly, the entire audience began moving backward. One by one, the trees in the circle fell and were shredded into fibers and bark before they hit the ground. An explosion of strikes too fast for the eye to see kicked up a massive pile of leaves, flooding the entire clearing in a sea of red. In the midst of it, the watchers could see momentary imprints on the floating slivers of crimson: a punch blocked, a throw countered. A silent pulse of light heralded a massive expulsion of energy from Jiren, incinerating all of the leaves and creating a giant cloud of smoke and cinders.

The spectators flew out of the cloud, coughing and with stinging eyes, only to find that that still others were arriving.

"This is where the gods wanted us to gather, right?" Caulifla asked. Kale hovered next to her; both of them looked well-rested and relaxed. Dyspo nodded to them.

"That is what we heard from Belmod-sama," the long-eared alien said. "About time. We've been stuck on this planet for the last two weeks while the gods did… whatever the gods do."

"We don't even want to go back," Caulifla said with a huff. "Champa-sama is making us."

"At least we get to see Cabba again," Kale said. "No thanks to Goku. He dropped Broly off there right after the last battle, he's gone back several times to check in, and we've been out in the cold."

"I don't mind if the guy needs some 'me time'," Caulifla said. "But you know, we're a little worried."

In the thick of the fight, Goku had started to tire. He couldn't help it. Spending nearly twenty minutes in a controlled version of the first Sign had eaten through most of his energy and part of his reserves as well. He simply could not replenish ki fast enough. As long as he maintained his defense, he could fend off Jiren fairly well. But as soon as he tried to attack, blows would start to get through. Even Ultra Instinct isn't enough. Jiren's not even at full power right now either. He's gotten even stronger since the Tournament. Eventually, Goku stepped out of the fight with his hands up. The alien seemed to relax, its breathing deep and slow. Yeah, he wasn't even exerting himself. No wonder he was happy to spar with me; he's going to have a nightmare finding a training partner.

"I think that's it for me," Goku said. He ran his arm across his forehead, and withdrew it dripping with sweat. He released the Sign and had a moment's discomfort as his senses deadened. He looked around the clearing. Colors were dimmer. The smell of burning leaves and bark was not as sharp. "I can't keep up with you yet. Guess I'll have to keep training."

"I'm disappointed," Jiren said plainly, scowling. "You reached such great heights at the Tournament, and now you can only do this for twenty minutes?"

"It's the difference between fighting for survival and fighting for fun," Goku said. He smiled up at the gray alien. "I don't usually go all-out in sparring matches. I'm glad to know there's another mortal out there with your kind of power. It gives me something to aim for."

"I gain power to enforce justice," Jiren said. "I judge when judgment is necessary."

"I gain power because… there's always someone stronger," Goku said. "I mean, I fight bad guys too, but that's not my main thing. I'm a competitive fighter. I want to find the next challenge."

"Do trophies and medals mean this much to you?" Jiren asked, his expression subtly disapproving.

"Not at all," Goku said. "I have a closet full of them. Even Chi-chi doesn't dust them anymore. It's the fight itself. Look, Jiren… I'm a Saiyan. We're born to love fighting. I just… love it more than most."

"I can see that," Jiren said, wearing an amused half-grin.

TOP

"I'm kind of surprised you'd do this," Taroa said, looking up at the hulking alien. The two of them took up an entire hallway of the hospital to themselves, and had to resort to single-file every time someone passed by.

"She just lost a friend in combat," Top said. "It's hard for a soldier, even worse for a civilian like her. In the Pride Troopers, this doesn't happen very often. When it does, I make sure the people affected have someone to talk to."

"So, you're giving one of my girls honorary Pride Trooper status?" Taroa asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"Of course not," Top snapped. His mustache seemed to wiggle with agitation, once again challenging the Saiyan woman's composure. "I should not have to justify a benevolent deed."

"I have to tell you what I told that Shrink guy: you don't understand Saiyan psychology," Taroa said. Top looked at her for a moment, and then huffed in amusement.

"I understand how to lead. I understand how people feel," Top said. "It doesn't matter if she's a Saiyan or not."

"Fine," Taroa said, shaking her head. They came to a stop outside of the girl's hospital room. She grinned at him. "After you."

When they entered the room, the first thing they heard was four voices yelling obscenities at the overhead television. When the four Saiyan patients looked up and realized they weren't alone, they trailed off. The voice of the baseball announcer blared from the screen.

"…Carcha is on second base, and Hexa is on third. The Sharks are in a strong position to get multiple runs in, but…" the television continued. Dill hopped up from the bed, wearing hospital sweats, and walked over to the two of them. She's wearing far less in the way of bandages and gauze. I forget how fast Saiyans tend to heal, especially when they can eat their fill.

"Should probably talk in the garden," the girl said. She grinned at them and gestured at the other patients, who had already turned their attention back to the game. "They're really fired up about this, it's a pretty close contest."

"You two go," Taroa said, walking past them. "I want to see the last two innings."

Bemused, Top allowed himself to be led to the hospital's garden. Outside of a few older patients trying to covertly smoke cigarettes, the outside area was deserted. To call it a garden was also a loose approximation – it was more along the lines of whatever local flora had popped up, and a semi-artful arrangement of rocks, overlaid with a mostly not-crumbling set of winding concrete pathways.

"I'm hoping you've reconsidered your decision," Top said. They had stopped in front of a small creek that ran through the plot of concrete and greenery.

"Yeah," Dill said. "I know I said I was interested in joining your team, but I think I was kind of…"

"In shock? Not really capable of making good life choices?" Top suggested. She snorted. "Trust me, you're not the first. I try to discourage this type of recruitment. I also don't know how I would explain it to Belmod-sama."

"Don't worry about it," she said. "Talking to that doctor helped me, actually. I think I know what I want to do."

"What's that?" Top asked.

"I'm going to become a diplomat," Dill said. Top slowly turned his head to regard her. Did I just hear her correctly?

"A diplomat. A Saiyan diplomat," Top said.

"Yeah," Dill said. "A Saiyan diplomat. I mean, it kind of makes sense, right? Who should be better at preventing a war than a person born to fight them? Now that I know how bad that it gets, why would I want anybody to have to go through that? People can fight for sport, or even duel if they get riled up, but war? I like fights that don't end with caskets and memorial services."

"That's an interesting way to look at it," Top said in a surprised tone. "If this is truly the path you want to follow, you have my blessing. The invasion of Earth was a textbook example of a battle fought in a stupid war. If you can just prevent… a few… of the really dumb ones, you'll make a big difference."

"I think I can do better than that," she said, nodding confidently. "I already prevented a fight in the cafeteria; two of the boys almost went at it over a candy bar."

"What did you do?" Top asked. Between their criminality in my universe and their outright barbarism in this one… a diplomat emerges. I can call the Saiyans many things. Predictable is not one of them.

"I bought another candy bar, identical to the first. Gave it to the other boy," she said. "They both ate and then went outside to play."

"Bribery is one way to go about it," Top said neutrally. His mustache twitched again, and she had to look away before she started giggling.

"Yeah, it was a bribe," she admitted. "But 85 zeni prevented the hospital from being on lockdown while they dealt with a fight. Do you know how much damage two Saiyan kids could do to a hospital ward? Way more time and money than two minutes and 85 zeni."

"In that case, it was a good call," Top said. He looked up to see one of the smoking patients staring in his direction. He nodded to the old man. Surprised, the smoker returned it. "I'm curious, what are the plans for your city?"

"New Sadala?" Dill asked. She looked thoughtful for a moment. "King Furry released a crap-ton of relief money, in appreciation for the Saiyans fighting. Oh, and get this – the Corporation had all of its assets in New Sadala insured. It made a windfall, and most of it is coming right back to us. We're going to rebuild, same as before. The original design worked well for us, Tech knew what he was doing."

"I see," Top said. He felt a vibration in the pocket of his uniform. He didn't have to look to know who it was. Belmod-sama. It's time. "I have to go. We are preparing to go back to Universe Eleven."

"Gotcha," Dill replied. "Thanks again for the rescue. I doubt I'll be able to repay you, but I'll knock out a few bad guys or something."

"That's not exactly diplomacy," Top said.

"It will take years to become a diplomat. I have to pass the time somehow," she replied. He began to rise into the air, shaking his head. Every day, I get to see the worst that evil has to offer. But sometimes, I get to see the people who survived.

"Good luck to you," Top said, his ki gathering for high speed flight.

"You too, boss," Dill replied, grinning.

He left the hospital with a speed that sent the tops of the trees waving. This is one of the things that makes this job worthwhile. It also makes it damn hard to think about ascension. I want the power, to enforce true justice and protect all of the citizens of the universe. But becoming a god… I risk losing my connection to the mortals who need justice the most. I cannot simply leave this behind.

I'm the boss. That means I'm at the level where nobody is happy with my choices. Not even me.

GOKU

"Are all of you done?" a deep voice sounded. They all turned to see the assorted gods of three universes staring down at them. Beerus caught sight of Goku and frowned. "Goku, why are you here?"

"I was sparring with Koara, and then Jiren," Goku said. He looked the part, covered in bruises and with torn clothing.

"Beerus," Jiren said, looking up at him. The god immediately bared his teeth, angered by the disrespectful form of address. "I have accepted an assignment to challenge you."

"What?" Beerus asked sharply. He looked to Whis, who seemed lost in thought. The angel quickly snapped out of it and faced him with an odd expression; a mixture of anger and wonder.

"It's Twelve. That… that little shit," Whis said. The entire group of gods stared at Whis in astonishment. "Jiren, did Twelve recruit you to fight Beerus-sama?"

"Correct," Jiren said. "He said that both of you had a wager. He also said that I am his 'chosen fighter'."

"Of course he did," Whis said faintly. He leaned over to talk directly into Beerus' ear, and said something quietly. Beerus shrugged him off with a dismissive gesture.

"Fine," Beerus said. He rolled his head, working the knots out of his neck. Whoa. Am I seriously about to watch Beerus and Jiren fight? I better watch every second of this. "It's good training. What's he going to do, kill me? Oh wait, he can't kill me."

"He has defeated me twice in fair combat," Belmod said bluntly. "Beerus, you may not want to do this."

"Oh, but I do," Beerus replied. "I'm taking my training seriously this time. Anything Whis signs me up for, I'm ready to try it."

"Actually," Goku said, waving a hand to get their attention. "Could you two do this away from Earth?"

"No need," Whis said. "I can create a self-containment shield that can prevent us from damaging the planet any further."

"Also, no Hakai," Belmod said sternly. "Beerus, don't even think about it."

"I wasn't," Beerus replied. "I never destroy out of spite."

The sheer silence that greeted that statement caused him to look around. Nobody met his eyes.

"I mostly don't destroy out of spite," Beerus said grudgingly.

"I heard that you destroyed a planet on the verge of discovering antimatter technology," Belmod said casually. "Because your take-out was cold."

"It was freezing! You don't…" Beerus trailed off, looking embarrassed.

"What is the point of divinity if you can't be capricious once in a while?" Champa said. He had retrieved a small filing board from somewhere and touching up his claws. "If Zeno-sama didn't want personal initiative, he should have made robots. And not fake ones like Mule's walking sarcophagus."

"It's not about initiative, it's about fairness," Belmod said.

"Fair? We're gods, Belmod. We don't follow the rules, we are the rules," Beerus said.

"Without any overarching ethics, how can you be sure your actions are even meaningful?" Belmod demanded.

"Without spontaneity, how can you stay sane?" Champa countered.

"I don't know when the fight will occur," Jiren's voice sounded, cutting through the debate. He was speaking into his communicator. "The gods are arguing. No, I do not think it is salient. Yes, they are listening to me. I see. Whis: Twelve says that if the combat does not begin within five minutes, he will consider it a default on your part. Yes, I told him."

"Default? He doesn't just get to set terms!" Whis said with genuine anger. He faced his staff. Almost immediately, Twelve's projection emerged from the jewel. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Closest definition to the current estimated outcome is 'winning'," Twelve said. The angel leaned forward, face-to-face with the hologram.

"You haven't won yet," the angel hissed. He actually looks angry. I didn't know angels could get angry. Twelve needs to watch himself, seriously.

"Then let this contest begin," Twelve said.

"Whis, let's just get this over with," Beerus said. The angel turned to find his god, already fully into the first Sign, standing a few feet away from Jiren. "You can argue with a computer later."

Whis, outrage plain on his face, opened his mouth to say something. He then caught sight of Vados, who was giggling hopelessly at him, and calmed himself with a sigh.

"This appears to be an especially aggravating entity, if it please you Brother," Marcarita said politely.

Standing in the circle watching the gods bicker, Goku barely noticed when Koara joined him.

"You don't get to see this every day," the bald Saiyan said. "Belmod-sama has always been interventionist, so we see a lot of him. But gods arguing? Synthetic beings picking fights with angels? Goku, what is the multiverse coming to?"

"Um… it's about normal, I think," Goku replied. "I've gotten the impression that the gods just do their best, same as the rest of us. They screw up too."

"Yeah, but when they screw up, all of us have to pay for it," Koara said.

"They're gods," Goku said, shrugging. "Let them do what they need to do. If something bad happens, we'll find a way to deal with it."

"You honestly mean that," Koara said, looking at the Saiyan from Earth.

"Yeah," Goku replied, nodding. "Last time I interfered with god business, well… yeah."

Within the clearing, lined with sawdust and scorched earth, a god and a mortal faced each other. Angels, gods, mortals, and one holographic projection arranged themselves around the two of them, giving them plenty of space. Whis raised one hand, and a translucent green barrier surrounded all of them, fighters and audience. Beerus, using his nearly unlimited ki to sustain the first Sign effortlessly, was up on the balls of his feet and visually dissecting his opponent. Jiren, implacable, had entered an offensive stance, fists up and ready to deliver punishment. His eyes gave away nothing.

"Vados?" Goku asked, addressing the closest angel. She turned, raising an eyebrow. "Any chance of getting popcorn?"

"You had better be joking," Vados said neutrally. Koara only shook his head, trying not to laugh.

"This fight is only to one fall," Whis announced. "No weaponry or outside assistance is allowed. No energy of destruction or otherwise lethal techniques are allowed. At the count of five, the match will begin."

"Five," Twelve said, beginning the countdown. Whis glared at him, and the two of them counted off the remaining numbers in unison. As soon as they said 'go', both Jiren and Beerus disappeared.

The two fighters were moving too fast for anybody but the angels to see. Vados and Marcarita were spellbound, staring at the clearing. Occasional flashes of intense light and eruptions of kinetic energy were the only signs of activity. Abruptly, Marcarita cleared her throat and tapped her staff on the ground. A projection showing video footage of the fighters emerged from the projection jewel, large enough for the audience to see clearly.

"If it please you, I will show the highlights of the combat, slowed down as that they may be appreciated by all," she said. Belmod nodded approvingly. The audience quickly gathered around.

If a god buoyed by Ultra Instinct was a flowing river, Jiren was a summer storm. Even slowed down, his punches were fast enough to blur. Counting them was impossible. Even more impossible was Beerus' reaction – seeming only to move slightly, shrugging more than dodging, he slipped every blow. Undeterred, the alien intensified his onslaught. Finally, a single blow landed, rocking the god's head back. He responded with a vicious kick, catching Jiren in the stomach. The alien growled at the pain, then grabbed at the god's leg. Beerus yelled in surprise as he was swung hard into the ground below, the impact causing tremors that were felt across the entire continent. As the alien raised him up again, Beerus simply grabbed onto Jiren's face and let loose a massive bolt of ki. Roaring in pain, Jiren dropped the god and staggered backward, pawing at his eyes.

"Ow," one of the Pride Trooper rookies said. "I guess even Jiren can get beaten up."

"He's not even close to done," Dyspo said confidently. "In fact, he's just getting started."

Beerus winked out of existence and reappeared on Jiren's flank, just in time to be on the receiving end of a mule kick. Almost immediately, the alien launched into a backflip over his opponent, spraying ki blasts down at him continuously. Beerus dodged them all, and then came forward with a series of oddly familiar punches and claws. Almost looks like the Wolf Fang Fist. I guess there are only so many ways you can put a combination together. Jiren managed to deflect the blows. His counterattack was met with yet another attack, and the space between the two of them blurred into a flurry of strikes.

"I don't know who to root for," Belmod said with a rueful grin.

"I'm rooting for Jiren," Champa said. Belmod looked at him in surprise. The cat-god smirked. "If he beats up Beerus, I can give my brother crap about it for the next thousand years. It'll make the time go by faster."

"You two have an interesting relationship," Belmod said.

Beerus reared back and charged a massive ball of ki, sizzling with energy so black that it seemed to drink the air. Jiren put one hand forward, summoning a super-dense red orb of power, seeming to vibrate in space as it waited for action. The two projectiles launched forward, met, and pushed. The voices of the god and the alien combined into one unholy roar as they struggled against each other. Then, Beerus put up one claw and launched a ki blast at Jiren. It spattered against his face, doing no damage. He did it again, and again, maintaining the pressure on his primary attack the entire time. Irritated, Jiren gritted his teeth and put even more energy into the conflict. I don't think Beerus got what he wanted out of that. The god wore an expression of outrage, sharp teeth looking like steel fangs under the influence of the Sign. Without warning, his ki flared and he suddenly matched the alien. His aura had become a weird mixture of silver flames and streaks of violet lightning. Once again, their attacks were in deadlock.

"Combination of godly ki boost and first Sign detected," Twelve remarked. "Hybridization was previously not believed to be possible."

"Beerus-sama has pushed beyond the first Sign," Whis said, studying the battle intently. "As I said – we haven't lost yet."

"Guys. That's going to blow up," Goku said loudly. The entire audience turned to look at him. He pointed at the two projectiles deadlocked in space, both beginning to vibrate with white-hot energy. "That's going to detonate. We're trapped in here with it."

Suddenly, a second green sphere, smaller than the first, popped into existence. It neatly segregated the fighters from the audience.

"You're welcome," said Vados.

"Well, it's a good thing tha-" Goku's words were interrupted by massive outpouring of light as his prediction came true. The audience looked up in awe as Vados's sphere filled with energy, sending beams of white light shooting through the forest. A second later, the sphere began to crack.

"That's… not supposed to happen," Vados said. She raised her staff, and the crack was repaired. Another two came into existence. Before she had a chance to reinforce it further, the entire sphere broke. The built-up power shot outward, slamming into the audience and shoving them up against the outer sphere. Beneath them, the ground had been denuded down to dirt and ashes, every bit of life already burned and gone. There was a horrific cracking noise, as if someone had ruptured an entire planet, and then the outer sphere broke as well. Free of containment, the multiplied energy of the combatant's attacks threw a huge mushroom cloud into the air and sent out a pulse of energy that flattened the entire forest. The gods and angels stood firm against the blast. The mortals were thrown clear, and were forced to fly back under their own power.

"That's amazing. So much power!" Goku said, laughing. Feels nice to let someone else do the fighting for a little while. He stared down at the cloud obscuring the two fighters and the trees blown down directly away from the center of the blast. Too bad for the forest though. This is why I wanted this to happen off-planet. Suddenly, he felt a strong ki presence approaching at high speed.

"Son Goku," Top's voice said from behind him. The just-arriving leader of the Pride Troopers stared down at the desecrated forest with alarm. "What has happened here?"

"Twelve talked Jiren into fighting Beerus-sama," Goku said.

"He what?!" Top shouted. Goku pointed. As the wind picked up and blew away the cloud of smoke, they could all see the two fighters, battered and bruised, standing in the middle of the desolate clearing. Beerus was panting, and one of his eyes was swollen shut. Jiren's uniform was ripped and deep discolorations could be seen on almost every inch of skin. Abruptly, a new shield came into existence around all of them.

"The battle is currently inconclusive," Twelve's voice sounded from Whis' staff. "Resolution is required."

"For once, I agree with the hologram," Whis said. "Beerus-sama, you must finish it."

"I'm trying," Beerus said. He blinked, both eyes now open and in full health. Compared to Jiren, he looked almost as fresh as when he had started. "Jiren, you know that you can't actually hurt me."

"No. I can hurt you. Belmod conceded because he knew what I was going to do to him," Jiren said. "I suspect he is more intelligent than you."

"And what is this dire thing you plan to do to me?" Beerus said, looking unimpressed at the insult.

"I will beat you until you can't move," Jiren said. "And then I will beat you again when I see you start healing. I'll keep beating you every time you regenerate, so you can't ever really heal. If I time it right and pace myself, I could probably keep you down for a couple of days."

"You ah… thought about this," Beerus said. His aura wavered.

"I cannot kill a god," Jiren admitted. "But I can make the god wish he was dead."

"That's it," Beerus said. His aura winked out. "I concede. Belmod, take your monster and get out of here."

"Beerus-sama!" Whis said in shocked disappointment. "How could you just-"

"Shut it. I'm not taking any more beatings for your ego," Beerus said. Then, unexpectedly, he grinned at the furious angel. "Actually, I think this is the first time I've seen anybody out-maneuver you. Face it, Whis. You actually lost this one."

"B-Beerus-sama," The angel said through clenched teeth. Whis' fighting ki began to rise. Whoa. When Whis actually gets angry, his energy is insane. He could floss his teeth with Jiren right now. And Beerus. Simultaneously. The cat-god seemed to have the same observation, as he suddenly remembered the difference in power and started slowly backing up. Abruptly, a figure materialized to each side of Whis.

"Stand down, brother," Vados said sternly. "You know this is not allowed."

"It may be advantageous to reconsider your actions, if it please you," Marcarita said.

"On the contrary, I encourage your attack," Twelve said. "I predict a highly entertaining outcome."

All three angels stared at the projection with intense dislike.

"I'm starting to understand your anger, brother," Vados said.

"As do I," said Marcarita, all trace of politeness gone.

"Enough. Marcarita, we need to go home," Belmod said. "This is getting ridiculous."

The angel looked stricken for a moment, and then took a deep breath and sighed.

"Very well, Belmod-sama," she said.

"Yeah, same here," Champa said. "Vados, let's grab the Saiyans and get the hell out of here."

As the assorted divines began to disentangle themselves, the Saiyans were meeting for a last time.

"Kind of sad I didn't get to see you fight," Caulifla said to Koara.

"The feeling is mutual. Goku told me you two did a Potara fusion," Koara said.

"Kefla," Kale said, grinning. "She's really powerful. She can even keep up with Super Saiyan Blue."

"Kale's not joking," Goku said. "She's one of the opponents I had to use Ultra Instinct with."

"I believe it," Koara said.

"Pride Troopers!" Top bellowed from across the ruined clearing.

"You two!" Champa shouted, pointing at Caulifla and Kale. "Get over here."

"I guess that's it," Koara said. He started to rise into the air. Behind him, the air rained red and black into the heavens. "It was nice meeting all three of you. Caulifla. Kale. Kakarot."

"Hey," Goku said, eyes narrowed. "I never told you my name. How did you…"

"I know someone with that name," the Saiyan of Universe Eleven said. He turned to start boosting through the atmosphere.

"Wait. You know my real name. Tell me yours," Goku said. The Pride Trooper looked back with a grin.

"Call me Bardock," he said.