Chapter 68: Quelling a Destroyer's Wrath

Murmurs were circulating throughout the crowd after the God of Destruction had made his entrance known. He reveled in their plights of fear and curiosity for a moment, before tenderly scratching his right ear impatiently.

"Did I stutter?" He remarked, "I asked if any of you know about the Elemental Overlord. Comply, or face destruction."

"Straight and to the point. Yep, that's Beerus alright..." Mew thought, edging back into the crowd quietly and bringing Kairi along with him, "But why me? Why now?"

"Mew!" Kairi whispered, quickly gritting her teeth and dragging him closer to her ear, "This cat person looks really, really dangerous. What are we going to do?"

Mew glared at the God of Destruction and knew he didn't have time to make up a plan, "It'd be suspicious if I went out and grabbed Riku's help. Who knows what he'd do to Sancturia too..."

Mew tapped her on the shoulder and began to move out, whispering, "You go and find Maria, keep her safe. I'll try and wiggle some information out of them."

"Are you sure?" She said, hissing through her teeth in worry, "You're the one they're after!"

"Not necessarily," Mew remarked with a cheeky shrug, "There was three of us at one point."

"Excuse me." Beerus suddenly chimed in, his ears noticeable perked up as he pointed specifically at Mew.

"What are you two chatting about? Sounds interesting..."

"Shit, forgot he had good hearing." Mew winced and then gestured back at Kairi to get her to go. And then, leaving his conscience clean for the time being, put his hands behind his head and jollily walked towards the God of Destruction with a smile.

"Nothing much! Just regular friend talk!" He quickly snapped from one topic to another to lower suspicion, on top of masterfully feigning ignorance "So you are...?"

Beerus gave out a rough cough with a fist upon his mouth and said, "Hmph, where are my manners?"

He then raised a glare towards Mew and the crowd behind him stating firmly, "I am the God of Destruction, Beerus. And you will learn to respect that."

While the rest of the crowd trembled, Mew felt goosebumps rising all over his skin, and his smile wobbling with excitement.

"N-No kidding?" Mew stretched his hand out and said, "Pleased to meet you, Beerus! My name is Mew!"

Beerus stared at his hand for a while. As Mew withdrew it slowly, Whis suddenly leaned down and shook it.

"A pleasure to meet you too, Mew," He said in a pleasant tone, "I am Whis."

Mew smiled and then put his hands in his pockets, "So what brings you both to Sancturia?"

Whis stood and tapped his staff on the ground, "We're looking for a particular person."

"I heard. Elemental Overlord, huh?"

"Are you familiar with them, by chance?" Beerus said, unable to hide his aggression.

Mew shrugged and wagged his hand out of the pocket, "Not familiar per se, but I have heard of them."

"Lead us to him. Now." Beerus said, firmly crooking his brows.

Mew swung his hands up in a floaty manner and said, "Whoa slow down there buddy. He's not here at the moment."

Beerus flinched and singled down on the wrong part of the sentence, "Buddy? Call me that again and I will-"

"Ah ah," Whis lightly tapped him on the back of the head, "Temper, Lord Beerus."

Beerus closed his eyes and dryly coughed "Right" before shifting into a somewhat more gently approach, "And when shall he return?"

"I don't know. Could be a few hours, might be a few days..." Mew felt he was teetering on the edge of believe ability, especially where Whis' perception was concerned.

"I can wait." Beerus cut him off.

"W-What?" Mew stuttered.

"Whis, lets go make residence at that gaudy pyramid we saw on the way in." Beerus and Whis began to turn, the Angel fluttering with delight.

"Mmm, excellent choice, Lord Beerus."

"Drat! Can't let them get comfy here!" Mew suddenly stretched his hand out and shouted, "B-Before you go anywhere...!"

Beerus' head creaked back with a vaguely caring glance.

"How'd you guys like some...ice cream!" Mew snapped his fingers, clearly recalling that to be the two's weakness.

Beerus' ears suddenly perked up and his eyes and mouth widened like a hungry cat as he shouted, "Ice cream?!"

He quickly resumed his normal posture with a flurry of coughs and remarked, "Hmph, fine. We'll see how your desserts measure up to a God's palate."

"Whew...!" Mew uncurled his fist, "That'll buy me some time."

"Alright. Follow me!" Mew, for the moment, was allowed to lead the God of Destruction along. The intensity he gave off, however, affected everyone they passed by.

"Sorry fellas. Not much else I can do at the moment." He tried to keep a straight face as they arrived at the nearest dessert shop and headed inside.

Naturally the paying customers were all dropping ice cream cones and spoons everywhere when the two beings made their presence known.

The gasps they let out eventually reached the front counter, causing the lone employee to crane their head back, as all color went flushed from their face.

"M-May I take your order...s-sirs?"

"Yes, I'd like one of your finest chocolate sundaes. Withhold the nuts." Beerus said, acting like a proper customer.

"Same goes for me. Add some whipped cream too, if you would." Whis said in turn.

The employee's gaze panned down to Mew, who simply leaned on the counter and whispered, "Just go with it."

The employee nodded slowly, then faster, as they retreated in a haste to do their job, managing to do so in under a minute.

Mew then picked up the tray in one hand and paid the exhausted employee extra with the other.

"Sorry...!" He said through gritted teeth as he left to sit at a table with the two unwanted guests.

"Here you go! Two chocolate sundaes!" Mew said with a smile.

"Ooooh my, they do look delicious~" Whis said heartily as he picked up his spoon and dug in.

Beerus did the same, enthusiastically putting the ice cream into his mouth.

A second later both their expressions froze wide-open, left in a state of impermanent bliss. Whis popped his spoon out and raised his head high in delight, "This is positively splendid!"

Beerus softly pulled his spoon out and chuckled, "Soft, creamy, but just the right amount of sugar. Not bad. Reminds me of the stuff from back home."

And so he gladly took another bite.

Mew sat down in front of them and saw that the rest of the customers and had dragged their chairs into the corners of the building.

With a heavy sigh he was just glad to know they were happy.

He leaned crooked into the chair and gestured his hand out towards the two, "So why're you after the Elemental Overlord anyways?"

Perhaps it was the ice cream softening his attitude, but Beerus calmly told him, "I don't see how that's any of your concern."

"Well he is something of a hero around here..." Mew mumbled back.

"Hero? So that's what they call him here..." Beerus said, returning briefly to a state of irritation as he chomped down another bite of ice cream.

Mew's body felt tenser, and the God of Destruction wasn't even trying to intimidate. His presence just gave off a natural warning to "RUN!", even if such an act was futile at best.

"Shit, now that I got this far I don't even know where to go from here. How am I supposed to convince BEERUS of all people to leave?"

When Beerus suddenly raised his eyes towards him, Mew's smile briefly turned into a sneer.

"Just who are you, anyways?" A innocuous question, made deadly by the cat's natural animosity.

"What do you mean?" Mew played along.

"The others cower, as they should, but you...?" Beerus pointed at him with his spoon, "You're perfectly content hanging around us."

"Well I wouldn't go that far." Mew raised a dry chuckle.

"Not to mention..." The sound of Beerus tapping the side of his bowl unnerved Mew, "Your power feels different from everyone else's."

Mew scratched the side of his face and remarked, "Well what can I say? I'm one-of-a-kind!"

"Hmmm, yes. Of course..." Beerus slowly returned to his ice cream while closing his eyes.

Suddenly, as Mew felt he could spare a moment to relax, he felt a shot of aggression bearing right towards his face and a second later, Beerus was throwing his spoon right at it.

Mew froze up and, entirely on instinct, stopped the spoon with his powers a mere centimeter from his nose.

He then grit his teeth and stuttered, "C-Crapbaskets...!"

"One-of-a-kind indeed..." Beerus slowly opened his eyes, a faint purple aura adding to the intensity of his glare, "Elemental Overlord."

As the spoon fell to the table Mew waved his hands around and said, "L-Look, I can explain!"

Only for Beerus to stand and put the bare end of his bony knuckle close to his face. A loud snap broke off from impact with Mew's face, as the young Overlord found himself hurtling out the window at hundreds of miles per hour.

Upon hitting the ground he quickly slapped his hands down and struggled to keep himself stopped in place.

He managed it right before he could bowl anyone over, leaving him hunched down on all fours with a feral posture and his teeth grit in a panic.

Beerus levitated out of the ice cream parlor with his hands behind his back and a ghastly air surrounding him. The immediate crowd ran away, tripping all over themselves and screaming.

"It took quite some doing to hunt you down..." Beerus scowled, "Hound of the 'higher-ups'!"

Mew's eyes flared open and he felt a trickle of blood down his nose, "'Higher-ups'?! What do those guys have to do with me?!"

He shook his head and pushed himself to his feet, remaining slightly hunched over as he swung his arm out and exclaimed, "I think there's been a HUGE misunderstanding here! I'm not the guy you're after!"

"Oh I know that," Beerus rolled his neck around and then dropped to the ground twenty feet away from Mew, "I've done my research. And it makes no difference to me. Different guy, same leash."

"Tsk...!" Mew grit his teeth and squeezed his fists, "Why is he so pissed off? I mean...BESIDES being Beerus."

It only took him a few moments of anxiety induced thinking to realize, "Ooooh shit, this has to be about what happened to Goku and the others at Prometheus' hands."

Beerus began advancing upon him with no aggression spared towards him, "I will break every bone in your body, and then deliver your gooey corpse to your masters' domain."

"Great. There's no convincing him to stop now..." Mew bemoaned with his eyes shut.

"Uhhh...!" Mew tried to smile and gesture towards him in a friendly manner, "Any chance the free ice cream can buy me some brownie points?"

Beerus arched his brows firmly and said, "Bribing a God of Destruction? That's blasphemy. I shall destroy you even harder now."

"Fucking...go figure!" Mew swiped his right arm out and scowled, "You just had to dig a deeper hole, didn't you Mew?"

As fire spiraled out from his right arm and began to summon his sword he yelled out to the crowd, "Everyone stay back! You don't want to get caught up in this!"

"Hmmm?" Beerus paused for a moment, giving Mew ample time to draw his sword and leap to bring it down upon his head with one brutal swing.

Beerus caught it between his fingers without moving anything else and left Mew suspended in the air.

"Is this supposed to be a joke?" Beerus chided him in a nonchalant tone, "What are you planning to do with this? Spread jam over my pancakes?"

With an effortless thrust Beerus had Mew tossing through the air.

"Shit, this is bad! I need to get Riku's help stat!"

Mew steadied himself and steeled his right arm as Beerus flew in and sliced downward with a karate chop. Mew's arm throbbed in agony as he hit the ground, but he had to focus more on leaping away before Beerus crushed him under both feet.

Beerus' impact raised a smoke cloud through which he shot a thin golden blast at Mew's face.

Mew drew his sword to defense and skidded a few feet, where he proceeded to swipe his blade at the ground and then gestured a thumb below his nose.

His heart was beginning to race, and though most of his body shook, he couldn't help but absorb the intensity of the moment into his system and smile.

"...No, what am I thinking?! I can handle this on my just fine!"

"Smiling in the face of destruction?" Beerus remarked as he strolled out of the smoke with his head held high.

"I don't think you'd understand..." Mew stood tall and thrust his hand out and proclaimed, "Its not every day one gets to test their skills against a God of Destruction!"

It seemed like Beerus was smiling in the brief pause he took before closing the gap between them and thrusting a palm into Mew's gut.

Air exploded out of Mew's back, like he was literally having his lungs expunged, and right after he was fired off into the sky.

Mew let himself spin, grinding his sword against the molecules in the air to build up heat in his blade, and slash it all out at Beerus.

Beerus pulled the flames apart at the center and widened his eyes, ferociously charging against the blunt edge of Mew's blade.

Mew held on for dear life and electrified his blade to force the God of Destruction off. Millions of volts were a brief sting to him, but it gave Mew time to strike him as hard he could with his sword.

He then dispelled the blade and charged in, grabbing Beerus by the face and diving straight towards the ground.

Beerus, with his cat-like nimbleness, however, spun around to Mew's back and then grabbed onto the back of his skull, smashing his face hard against the ground.

Mew felt his skin peeling off as Beerus took him for a brief ride across Sancturia, ending by dragging him up into the side of a store.

Beerus then casually broke the wall with Mew's face and let go, shoving the heel of his right foot into his back.

Mew went spiraling through the grocery store, maintaining just enough consciousness to avoid hitting any of the customers.

Beerus charged after him, his aura exploding any food that it touched and making a huge mess of things.

Right before Mew hit the next wall, Beerus collided with him and dragged him to the ground outside.

Mew pressed his elbows down and with one hard push shoved Beerus off him, but continued to eat the ground for a few feet longer.

With blood smeared over most of his face Mew took a stand nice and slow while his foe slowly glided around, swiping his tail against the air.

"Guess you're not playing around then...!" One of Mew's eyes widened with a battle-hungry urgency beaming from it, and he drew his sword to stab it into the ground.

He managed to defend against Beerus' charge and the ensuing claw swipes to the best of his ability. He built up energy within the sword with every strike, then unleashed it all as a point-blank explosion.

Beerus clawed through the explosion with a mighty palm thrust, forcing Mew's blade out of the ground and making him tumble back.

From there Beerus glided in a hunch over the ground and used his hands to trip Mew up, then palm him in the gut with a bone-cracking shockwave.

A few drops of blood leaked out of Mew's mouth after he forced himself to stop mid-air and dive to meet Beerus' charge. The God of Destruction had him outclassed to a frightening degree and Mew was instantly knocked out of the sky, crashing upon his back.

Beerus then gestured his pointer finger down and set a volley of purple orbs after him.

While stumbling to rise Mew slashed his blade wildly to cut through the orbs, all the while thinking, "I can't fight him like this. Time to go to the next level...!"

He swung his sword straight out to the side and twisted it so his finger hovered over the white trigger. However, Beerus immediately dropped down in front of him and grabbed onto his wrist hard enough to make him drop the blade.

"You're too reliant on that sword!" Beerus gave a scathing remark.

"Shit, again!" Mew grit his teeth as Beerus casually tossing him behind him like yesterday's trash and fired a blast from his palm to explode and knock him out of the sky.

All the while he stopped and yawned, stretching his head back all the way and saying, "If you're going to be destroyed at least try and make it interesting."

Mew's smoke covered form rose to full height and then he hunched over, coughing blood onto the back of his hand.

He swiped it under his chin and then clawed his hands out towards Beerus in a fierce fighting stance, "I just have to make an opening...!"

He wagged his fingers at himself and Beerus cracked a minor smile while he turned and dug his feet into the ground. A ring of smoke puffed out before he launched forward, dragging the air behind him as a destructive whirlwind.

Mew braced his feet for impact and swung his palm out to strike Beerus'. His body was shoved back but he forced himself to remain balance, enduring the flurry of each devastating blow the God of Destruction thrust his way.

The waves rippling off their clashes sliced through the ground and nearly hit the nearby houses. Mew scowled and tightened his hand around Beerus' fist, catching him by surprise long enough to toss him overhead onto his back.

Beerus was quick to try and stand but Mew beat him to the punch by diving forward and punching him square in the nose, dragging him to the ground.

He then slammed his open hand onto the ground and commanded it to rise around Beerus as an adamantium cage.

Beerus merely groaned aloud "This feels familiar..." and expanded the strength of his aura to shatter his cage.

Mew pulled back and drew his sword out, hastening to pull the white trigger before Beerus could begin to move.

Beerus stood up and flinched as an overwhelming flash of light flooded over him.

Mew drew the diamond katana from his Light Form's sheath and barreled straight at the God of Destruction, who calmly put his palm up...and found himself pushed back.

Beerus' eyes widened momentarily before the intensity of his aura grew, adding a light shade of pink to the edge.

Mew pulled away and, as he did so, whipped his blade down in such a manner that it assaulted Beerus with a flurry of cuts.

Beerus deflected them all with one finger and then pointed that very same one out to fire a thin beam. Mew made a hard swerve to the left and tucked his katana under his other arm, using the tip of the blade to deflect the beam skyward.

He then threw himself at Beerus and attempted a hard slash across his chest. Beerus grabbed the blade mid-swing and pulled Mew along in front of him, proceeding to knee him right in the gut.

Mew held on tight to his sword and swung down at his foe's foot, managing to get a cut in.

Beerus flinched long enough for Mew to pull away, leading his escape with a series of light blasts made from thin air.

Beerus countered the blasts with his orbs, all while approaching Mew at a brisk pace. Suddenly he dug his feet into the ground, hunched down, and lunged straight out, bypassing Mew's defenses to headbutt him in the gut.

Mew's cheeks puffed out until the air was forced to escape him. He then sheathed his sword and grappled his arms around Beerus' head, refusing to let go despite his clawing struggle.

He then leaped up and drove Beerus' head towards the ground.

Beerus' aura exploded, pounding Mew with a flurry of purple shots too numerous to count. Each blast was as tough as his punches, and left Mew feeling a little winded when he landed.

Beerus danced around on his back before floating upright, his hands proudly tucked behind his back as he cricked his neck around.

"Now you're starting to amuse me," He said in a slightly energetic tone while raising a finger up, glinting with gold light, "Dance, hound dog."

With the glimmer reflecting off his frightened eyes Mew grabbed hold tightly his sword and thrust it out horizontally to deflect Beerus' beam into the air.

Beerus smirked and then dove in, thrusting down into Mew's left knee. A loud snap was heard, upon which Mew began to crumple towards the ground.

He slammed his hand down for support, find himself face-to-face with Beerus' palm. Beerus showered him with explosive force and broke the ground beneath Mew while he was launched back.

Mew flipped and landed, drawing his sword back into the sheath and waiting patiently for the God of Destruction's next charge.

Beerus started with a brisk stroll, locking eyes with Mew hard enough to make him squirm. Mew's smile shook, his heart pounding against his chest.

He hesitated, allowing Beerus to waltz right in with his fist drawn back with all his might.

Mew coated his wings in thick light and swung them out as a shield, only for Beerus to crash it apart like glass with ease. But Mew stood there valiantly, parting his wings and drawing his blade right out quick as a whip.

He danced around Beerus, slashing him across all his limbs and chest with strong but graceful movements. He then zipped forward in the blink of an eye and stabbed his sword back into the sheath.

Bright gashes overwhelmed Beerus, cutting off parts of his fur, ending with an explosion that knocked him to the ground.

But, with his quick thinking, he used his tail to spring up over Mew's head and bring his foot crashing down upon him.

Mew's face hit the dirt so hard the rest of his body kicked upward, and he briefly got a taste of the blood from his nose.

Beerus laid the pressure on him, grinding his heel upon the back of his skull while taunting him mercilessly, "If you had any sense right now you'd cease this stupidity and accept your destruction."

"S-Sorry to disappoint THEN!" Mew pressed his palms down and summoned swords of light to fire at Beerus' face. The God of Destruction stopped one against his palm but the other cut him and drew blood.

He grit his teeth with an utterly deplorable scowl, followed by Mew smashing those teeth together as he suddenly broke free with an uppercut.

Beerus bounced away and tickled the blood dripping down his face. Mew, hunched over and panting slightly, thrust his palm out and shouted, "There we go! God bleeds!"

Beerus tucked his hands back and crooked his brows down, "How unfortunate for you then."

His aura shot up some more, freezing the environment with an ominous chill. All the debris surrounding them rose up, atomized within an instant.

"Now I can start to really wreak some havoc." Beerus said proudly. The next second he was upside-down before Mew, his puzzling position blinding him to the state of Beerus' performing a guillotine kick coming down upon his head.

Mew raised his sword just quick enough to get his knees forced to the ground. Beerus then pulled away and fired a series of explosive orbs that shattered the ground around Mew.

Mew was tossed onto his back, his eyes barely remaining open and focused on his opponent.

"If this gets anymore out of hand Sancturia'll drop out of the sky!" Mew hastened upright and locked his sword in his sheath.

He shook around looking for his opponent, only to feel the hairs on the back of his head rise. Right as he glanced over his shoulder the light dimmed, consumed by a golden hue.

Beerus smirked as he tapped his finger upon Mew's neck, where the light collapsed into a massive explosion. Mew was launched hundreds of feet through the air, breaking off the corner of a building before landing hard on the ground and losing at least half his armor in the process.

His hand shook until he squeezed it into a fist and punched the ground, "This isn't enough...!"

He grit his teeth in a furious scowl, and a yellow haze began to cover his irises.

His anger stalled momentarily, as he felt the weight of the God of Destruction's pressure on his back, crushing him, oppressing him.

Beerus aimed his palm at his back and began to charge a miniature sun in it. Mew grit his teeth and flared his eyes open defiantly.

"Give up and surrender." Beerus advised confidently.

"I refuse." Mew growled.

"Another cocky warrior..." Beerus murmured.

Suddenly he shut down his energy and threw his left hand up to disintegrate a giant shaped fist of gas with his raw aura.

Mew stared out to the left and saw Maria hustling out onto the battlefield with her fists raised and two more gas fists joining at her sides, "Get away from my papa you mean cat!"

Beerus' eyes widened and he stuttered, "W-What?!"

"Maria, get out of here!" Mew swung his hand out to shoo her off but she refused to budge, even though her small knees were trembling.

"Atta girl!" Suddenly, Kairi's voice was heard very close by, her shadow dropping down on Beerus from behind.

Mew was surprised not just to see her flying ferociously into battle, but also going straight into the Neo Drive. Even Beerus had to pause and reconcile the madness unfolding before his very eyes.

With a sword drawn along her arm Kairi dove in for the attack screaming, "Get OFF of him!"

Then it wasn't Beerus, but rather Whis, who stepped up to the plate. Gently raising his staff he left her sword gliding down past them both all while remarking in a playful tone, "Ah ah ah, I'm afraid I can't let you interfere."

Kairi pulled her sword free from the ground and growled. Beerus leered behind his shoulder and remarked, "Whis, what is the meaning of this? Who is this girl?"

"I'm not quite sure," Whis gave his staff a twirl before positioning it upright beside him, "But I sense she could even give you a hard time."

Kairi started thrusting her sword and Whis seemed to dodge each strike without moving. All the while he took an ice cream cone out from behind and started licking it.

Kairi went for a wide swipe only for the tip of Whis' staff to meet the tip of her finger and shut off her blade. He then glanced at her from out the corner of his eyes and remarked, "Temper temper. Why don't you relax and enjoy some ice cream?"

Kairi pulled away and shouted, "We were going to before you bastards had to come and ruin everything!"

She then slapped a hand on her chest and screamed with all her might, "Why do all of you keep coming after Mew?! What did he ever do to deserve this?!"

"That's none of your concern, little girl." Beerus firmly stated.

"You made it my concern." Kairi swung her hands down, a blade in each one.

Beerus began to stretch a hand back, with aura bright and horrifying, "Seems you need to learn a lesson in humility."

The atmosphere turned suffocating, with Beerus' immediate vision becoming wrapped in a thick darkness. Through it to his right, he saw a pair of ghastly yellow eyes staring down at him with immense fury.

"Your fight is with me," Said Mew, now in Dark Form, grabbing tightly onto the back of Beerus' skull with his dark claw, "You don't get to hurt my friends!"

He ripped him off the ground and went hurtling straight up towards the outside of Sancturia's barrier. The moment they broke free Beerus turned around and shoved his foot into Mew's gut to push away. He then suspended himself in the air and stared up-and-down Mew's new form.

"Another form?!" He said, sounding more confused than irritated, "This is starting to feel very familiar...!"

Mew raised his claws up to his chest and narrowed his eyes towards his foe, "This is as far as I can go...Please let this be enough!"

Beerus smirked and then flew at Mew. Mew curled his fist and fired it out quick as a shotgun into the God of Destruction's cheek, jerking his lower body out in place.

Beerus grit his teeth and tightened it into a scowl, leaving Mew time to wind up his other fist and hammer the bottom of Beerus' chin.

Beerus flipped around and shook his head, swerving his head around to dodge two of Mew's punches. Mew kept his arms extended and then grabbed the back of Beerus' neck to hold him down, then dragged himself closer to knee him straight in the gut.

Mew then pounded his gut a few more times for good measure and began to spin around, tossing Beerus further into the sky.

Beerus jerked his limbs out and rocketed towards Mew, colliding fist against fist. A bubble of force popped around them and broke apart the ice blocks in the water, sending waves rippling towards the main land.

Mew grit his teeth and pulled back, slamming against Beerus while trying to lure him further away from the planet. Each time the two collided their shockwaves grew larger and larger.

Beerus stalled momentarily and arched his brows in surprise, "Good, good. You're finally living up to the legend!"

"Yeah well, at least one of us is enjoying themselves!" Mew curled his fist and charged Beerus, only for him to catch the punch and suspend him in place.

"Not having fun are we?" Beerus said all amused, before catching his other fist.

"Grrr...!" Mew growled and stuck his hands there, stretching his arms back and then rebounding forward to smash both his feet into Beerus' gut.

Beerus laid a hand on his stomach and used the other one to barely deflect Mew's furious fists flying every which way towards him.

When Mew landed a solid blow on his face he dug the knuckles in deep and set them on black fire, dragging the fist off with a hard crack that sent Beerus spiraling further into the sky.

Moving past the thin layer of clouds, the sky started to darken around them. Beerus began to surround himself with dark orbs, each one he launched being replaced by another.

Mew zipped around and hopped over the orbs, gathering darkness into his right hand until it was practically collapsing upon itself from the sheer weight present within.

He tried to slam the orb into Beerus' chest but he swerved behind Mew and then gestured his pointer finger at his back.

Mew opened a dark rift to make the beam go elsewhere and then whipped around to backhand Beerus across the face.

He brought the hand back as a fist to hit even harder, nearly pivoting Beerus' head off his neck.

Beerus brushed his bruised cheek and scowled, "You're really starting to irritate me."

His aura suddenly exploded violently as he shoved himself into Mew and began wailing on him with a dozen punches all at once. He then tapped Mew in the chest and created a explosion that hurtled him straight on up towards space.

Mew thrust his wings wide-open and gathered darkness in both hands. When Beerus came at him he clapped them together, siccing a dangerous shockwave across the sky.

Beerus glided beside it with a graceful spin, before immediately swerving around for a firmly delivered kick. Mew grabbed onto Beerus' ankle and went for a spin, holding on tight until he could dig his feet into the air and toss Beerus away.

He then started lobbing dark fireballs after him. The explosions barely fazed the God of Destruction, but they were just a smokescreen for the real attack.

Mew flew out of a dark rift and clawed Beerus down the front with both hands, knocking him down to be surrounded by four other rifts. A shade of himself emerged from each one and bent down to simultaneously kick Beerus from below.

Beerus grit his teeth and with an explosion of rage destroyed the shades with an onslaught of blasts. Mew nevertheless committed to the full assault by clobbering his fist straight atop Beerus' skull.

Pushing himself relentlessly was wearing on his muscles and he could feel it, badly. But even if his body would begin to break, he grit his teeth hard and refused to yield.

"I can't slow down, not even for a second!" Wrapping himself in an aura of black fire he grabbed Beerus by the shoulders while he was stunned and threw him even higher up towards space.

Now the blue skies were giving way to the black, starry darkness. But between here and a clear battlefield were the planet's floating satellites and space junk.

Mew grit his teeth and timed his punches on Beerus to push him around the satellites. But soon the God of Destruction recovered and immediately set his feet down on the nearest satellite, smashing a good chunk of it apart.

Mew flew right in eyes ablazed and threw a punch at Beerus' face. The God of Destruction swerved aside and let Mew fly past harmlessly.

Mew twirled around and landed on the satellite, taking a good long look at the blue seas of his home.

Beerus' aura quickly overwhelmed his sense of sight and drew his attention back down. Beerus started running up to meet him, ripping a scar through the satellite.

Mew ran after and the two leaped at the last second. Their collision rupturing a massive hole in the satellite, an unavoidable circumstance at this point.

Mew locked elbows with Beerus, sparks grinding off their skin as he tried to drag him out of this area. Beerus responded with a wry smirk and quick burst of energy to throw him off, followed by whipping his foot up towards his shoulder.

Beerus pulled back and went for a second kick, while Mew attempted to swipe at his face. Beerus ducked back and then spun around, whipping his foot hard into Mew's gut to launch him through a half a mile worth of space junk.

Mew grabbed hold onto a large rock and broke it upon Beerus with all his might. He then stretched his arms out to grab him and then whipped him around, destroying more debris in the process of throwing him further away from the satellites.

Mew then thrust his hands out and fired dark energy into rifts for later. He then curled his fists and rocketed after Beerus, who gracefully turned upright and skated along a satellite's solar panel, shredding it up.

Mew stopped him from having fun by throwing a punch that made him leap to get away. He then pulled away and started firing orbs, forcing Mew to slice through them before they could damage the satellite.

Beerus' expression began to sour, and he dully pointed his finger at Mew to fire a thin beam. Though Mew rolled out of the way, the energy set off a chain reaction that mass obliterated space junk and affected some of the satellites.

Mew then lobbed a punch across Beerus' face, following through quickly on the other side. He alternated punches faster and faster and faster, dragging them finally beyond the scope of the satellite ring and properly into space.

Beerus was at Mew's mercy and he took full advantage of that, grabbing both his hands together and hammering the God of Destruction's chin.

Then he thrust his hands down and his dark rifts, fully charged with cascading dark energies, exploded upon Beerus as a pair of crossing beams.

He then pursued Beerus further into space, gritting his teeth against the pressure crushing him from all sides to deliver his hardest punch yet.

Instead, Beerus suddenly froze in place and brief hints of blue and silver appeared in his aura. He closed his eyes, and evaded Mew's punch without much visible tension in his body.

Mew's heart skipped a beat, and slowly turned to look as his foe whipped their leg around and delivered a critical blow to his spine.

Mew went barreling straight through space like a celestial arrow, crashing right upon the surface of the moon to form a mile-wide crater.

Buried under a ton of rubble with his body feeling sore all over, the only thing motivating Mew to stand was a stubbornness even he could barely understand.

As he pulled himself onto his feet Beerus was there to greet him, his hands tucked confidently behind his back. His posture, unable to show weakness.

"I've offered you many chances to make this easy," He landed on the moon and took a couple steps forward, "And I am hardly merciful."

Mew felt his legs wanting to give in but only let one knee fall, dropping one hand upon the other one while he pulled himself back up.

"This is merciful...?"

"By my standards, yes." Beerus said in a mildly humored tone.

Mew's whole body trembled as he grit his teeth and punched his knee, rising quickly with a mutter of "D-Damn it...!"

Beerus paused and raised his brows, "Why are you frustrated? Is it because you're losing...?"

"No...!" Mew grit his teeth harder and then squeezed his eyes shut, "M-Maybe...!"

He cast his hand out and stood up to face the God of Destruction with a tired, almost tearful gaze, "You're threatening to kill me and damage my world, but its like...Its like I should give a shit about all that, but I don't! My body's wanting to fight you with everything its got!"

Beerus smirked and remarked, "You do seem like the type who craves battle."

Mew roughly shook his head and muttered, "D-Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not some sort of battle junkie...! Its just..."

Mew looked at his curled fist and shook it, "I want to fight opponents who are tough. That way I can improve myself."

"But...!" He raised his head and could barely keep his scowl going.

"I couldn't beat Justek. I couldn't stop Dracula. And now I can't even defeat Beerus...! If I'm not even good for my strength, then...!"

"Stop running away from your responsibilities...!"

"You haven't thought about the future, at all?"

Mew pulled his head back and screeched internally in frustration then smashed the ground, spreading cracks all the way to the edge of the crater.

He slowly stood, feeling like he was about to cry, and looked Beerus straight on.

"I have to know...just how much of your power are you using against me?"

Beerus grumbled, then softly closed his eyes and remarked, "This is only 80% of my full power."

"80%..." Mew aped, sounding completely dejected as he looked at the ground, "Only that much..."

Beerus lifted his head and spoke bluntly, "You hate that you're weak. You see it as frightening."

"You don't know what its like to feel weak!" Mew proclaimed, "You've never had anything you want to protect!"

Beerus grimaced and slowly drew his eyes shut with a murmur.

"I have friends and family living down there," Mew gestured bluntly towards the Earth, "And I have to be strong enough to keep them safe!"

He curled his fist and pounded it into his chest, "But lately there's been this feeling nagging at my heart. Like...someday, I'm going to reach the limit of my power. Which means...there's a limit to how well I can keep the ones I care for safe."

He then swung his fist down and glared at Beerus, "And I hate it!"

"Right now, you're the living embodiment of all my fears and limitations," Mew hunched down and resumed a battle stance, even though his body was trembling all over, "I have to beat you! Even if it destroys me!"

"..." Beerus opened his eyes, slowly widening his smirk, his tone much softer than it was moments ago, "Someone I knew once stood up to me in a similar way. He knew he was outclassed yet still fought with everything he had to save his world."

Beerus smiled and said in a humored tone, "I don't know why I keep finding myself attracted towards such...stubborn, prideful warriors."

"I will give you one last chance to surrender." Beerus said sincerely.

Mew grit his teeth defiantly and said, "I refuse."

Beerus puckered his lips in surprise, "You really aren't afraid to die."

"I don't give a shit if I die," Mew declared, "But I refuse to lose, not if it means the end of everyone else's happiness."

"...Very well," Beerus closed his eyes and the entire moon began to tremble, "Then I shall give you a special treat. Watch closely...this is something very few mortals have ever laid eyes upon."

The lights in the sky went out briefly, even that of the sun. Through it all Beerus' light radiated harder, turning pure sapphire. Divinity, refined to its purest, destructive essence.

The lights resumed in the sky, and Beerus smiled, "This, is my full power."

Mew grit his teeth, knowing full well he stood no chance of victory now more than ever. Yet his mouth hardened into a smile, glistening with the light of Beerus' fighting soul.

"Yeah...this definitely feels like a God of Destruction's full power," Mew closed his eyes and took one deep breath, perhaps what would be his last, muttering to himself closely, "Stay focused..."

All he heard was the tightening of his and Beerus' fists reverberating in tune with his heartbeat. Everything else was silence, even his thoughts.

His body sparked with white energy that dissolved into the moon's surface as his feet left it behind and leaped straight towards Beerus.

Beerus shoved off, destroying most of the ground around his feet in the process.

The two met in a mighty clash of elbows that popped a shockwave to further break the crater apart.

Mew felt a sharp pain in his heart like it was about to split in two and grit his teeth through it, then shoved with all his might against Beerus' god-like power.

Even though he made him budge an inch, Beerus responded much harder, launching Mew away from the moon. Mew tumbled into a dark rift and boded his time for Beerus to lower his guard for even a moment.

Beerus, however, stretched his hand out and muttered "Hakai", shattering the wall between dimensions and revealing Mew's cover in the darkness.

"Heh...!" Mew grinned, crossing his arms down to rip this massive tidal wave of darkness from the realm itself to wash over Beerus, bombarding him with a flurry of stabs and cuts.

Beerus clawed his hands out to destroy all the darkness at once, but Mew flew through the center of it and smashed him square in the face.

He then started wailing on him, cracking down his knuckles as they pushed away from the moon.

Beerus slapped his right fist away and then wrapped his tail around Mew's stomach, pulling him in to freely punch his face and chest.

Mew headbutted him to break free, but the cat was unflinching. So Mew instead grabbed his sensitive tail and squeezed hard. That did the trick.

Then Mew pulled away and thrust his feet into Beerus' gut to send him away. He then barreled after him, white sparks continuing to spew from his body and giving Beerus pause for concern.

Mew suddenly shifted into Light Form and rapid-fired a flurry of light speed blows across Beerus' body. Beerus' hands flew around like mad to deflect them, upon the end of them he thrust his hands out to blast Mew with a cone of energy.

Beerus then sped behind him and elbowed him in the back, hurtling him towards the satellites.

Mew spun around and crashed atop a large satellite, tearing his way down to the halfway point. Beerus wasted no time diving down, smashing the satellite in halfway and throwing the offer half into utter chaos.

Mew reached for his katana and drained as much light as he could from the stars in preparation for Beerus' reappearance.

Beerus erupted out behind him with a glowing pointer finger aimed at the back of his neck. Mew spun to meet him but Beerus started moving so fast he left afterimages behind, all of them equally threatening in their presence.

Mew partially drew his sword out but waited just a little longer. He took a deep breath and heard the flicker of Beerus' energy close by.

Widening his eyes he turned back and lashed his sword out his all his might, tagging the real Beerus with a mighty white gash.

Beerus held the attack back with one hand and a smile.

Black sparks starting firing off from Mew's battered body, his muscles spasming out of control as he switched to Dark Form and swiped his claw back.

Beerus' now massive shadow betrayed him and bound his body tight enough for the light to overwhelm him completely. From there Mew went in for a full power punch.

Beerus unleashed a flurry of energy blasts in all directions to pelt Mew and hold him back, during which the God of Destruction thrust his hand out and a blast of air launched Mew off towards another satellite.

Mew crashed through it and barely made out the utterance of "Hakai" that led to the satellite's complete annihilation.

Beerus then raised that same hand up high, creating a miniature sun that swallowed up and destroyed everything in its expanding path.

Mew dug his footing atop one of the few stable satellites in the area and watched as the miniature sun was flung his way without a care.

His sight was burning with visions of vermilion and destruction coming straight at him. He squeezed his fists and then cupped his hands down beside his hip, gathering as many dark flames as he could into a sphere.

His body jerked, white sparks spewing from him and making him go back into Light Form, with black sparks shooting from that.

His body continued shifting forms almost uncontrollably, making it difficult for him to keep either light or darkness together between his hands.

The sun threatened his end, and he could only keep smiling.

"Screw it...!" He proclaimed, letting his body lose all control over itself as he grasped both light and darkness tight and his skin began to peel off.

He lunged the combined energies point-blank into the sun and caused it to collapse inward, eventually making a massive beam puncture its way through to the other side.

The sun burst apart, rocking Mew off his feet and leaving him partially deafened. And Beerus, never stopping, never ceasing, charged through the remains of his attack at blistering speeds.

Mew braced himself as his skin split and blood sprayed out, by pure luck some of it managing to get in Beerus' eyes to blind him.

Mew then grappled him under his arm and spun him around, throwing him towards the Earth.

He then landed on the satellite and charged after him, following through with a couple punches across his body. He wound up a particularly hard punch, throwing it straight into Beerus' teeth, and gritting his teeth feeling confident that it would hit.

Beerus' body suddenly moved out of the way at the last possible second, as he danced behind Mew and then smashed with his a powerful air blast.

Mew dug his claws into the satellite but went flying right off the edge, where he then began to burn against the atmosphere.

Beerus dove after him and pounded him from above, sending him crashing through the layers of the planet, splitting the clouds for miles around, and bringing him on a collision course with Sancturia.

But Beerus outsped his descent and met him in the city's grounds, kneeing him decisively in the gut. One more shockwave ruptured out and affected the clouds for even further out.

Beerus then stepped back and let Mew fall flat onto the ground, his arms and legs barely twitching.

Yet despite all this pain, all this anger, Mew clenched his fists and used them to stand. On his hands and knees with black and white sparks wildly firing off from his body, and blood dribbling out his mouth, he raised his head to find Beerus' hand hovering inches from it.

"Looks like you lose." He stated, not even maliciously.

Mew tightened his fist and stuttered, "I-Its not over until I say its over...!"

"Heh...!" Beerus smirked, "Sorry. That's not your decision to make."

As he began to charge energy a familiar scenario started to play out, only this time when Beerus was forced to raise his hand in defense he found himself snagging a certain round shield out of the air.

He then paused and raised his brows. Him and Mew looked and found themselves surrounded by Aurians, with Mew recognizing Kairi, Maria, Shina, Gabriel, and even Auris standing at the forefront of his defense.

Whis was standing close by Auris and tapped his staff on the ground while rolling his shoulders, "Sorry, Lord Beerus, but I think we might be biting off more than we can chew..."

Beerus dropped the shield and put his hands behind his back, "What is the meaning of this?"

Auris advanced forward without flinching and addressed Beerus like one would reprimand a kitten, "God of Destruction, you're not welcome here."

Beerus leered at her and muttered, "And who are you to address me in such a manner? I should destroy you where you stand."

"Not even you'd be capable of that." Auris said, earning Beerus' attention for a brief moment.

Whis floated up between the two and leaned in to whisper to Beerus, "Apparently, this woman is the wife of the original Elemental Overlord."

Beerus leered at her standing mere feet from him and muttered, "Go on."

Auris gestured towards the battered Mew and said, "If you seek a way to the 'higher-ups', then you've wasted your time here. This one has no connection to them."

"And why should I believe you?"

Auris leaned in and started whispering in his ear. Beerus' brows raised and he murmured, "You're serious about this?"

Auris pulled away and softly nodded, the meaning of their conversation being completely lost on Mew.

"Hmmm..." Beerus closed his eyes and then turned around, taking a couple steps away while remarking, "Alright Whis, we're out of here."

"W-What?" Mew stuttered.

"Well it was nice meeting you all," Whis bowed to the crowd while following his lord behind, "Hope we can meet again under less...tumultuous circumstances."

Mew weakly gripped his fist and shouted "Wait!" causing Beerus to pause and look over his shoulder.

"Our battle is over. Be grateful you're still alive."

"I-I have to know...! Why are you after the 'higher-ups'?!"

Beerus turned away and scratched behind his ear, "You have good friends on your side, Mew. Cherish them and your world, as I never could..."

Mew gasped while Whis tapped his staff on the ground and waved the group off, "Ta-ta for now!"

A powerful pillar of light sent them flying right off the planet and for now, it seemed the rough times were over.

Mew stared at the ground and felt a terrible pulsation in his chest, as suddenly, he remembered something Justek once told him...

"I have seen the 'higher-ups' take and ruin more lives than any living being could feasibly count."

"I-Its true...! Beerus' universe was destroyed by the 'higher-ups'. I-If they're capable of that much then..."

Suddenly his heart stopped beating with one thick, deafening pound.

"Gck...!" He coughed up dark red blood in a puddle, with black and white energy firing off on all parts of his body. His vision fading, his body sank into the ground, sending him into the eternal darkness, with only one voice to lead him into a dreamless oblivion...

"MEW!"

…

...

Meanwhile, Beerus and Whis traveled rapidly through the depths of space. Thousands of stars, passing them by.

Beerus was scratching at the side of his face, letting out the occasional murmur.

"What seems to be the problem, Lord Beerus?" Whis inquired with a hum.

"Hmmm..."

Age 780, 17:26 PM...

Beerus and Whis stood on a dying Earth, watching as the Super Dragon Balls turned to stone before their eyes.

"What's going on? What happened to Goku and the others?!" Beerus screamed, frantically tearing apart the bare ground to try and find them.

"It seems as though we've been tricked, Lord Beerus." Whis somberly turned towards the depths of space, where the white light of oblivion shone brightly outward from the center of the universe.

"And we've run out of time."

"No...No no!" Beerus smashed his fists against the ground and grabbed hold of Whis' wrist, "I refuse to die like this! Get us out of here Whis!"

"But I-"

"You can damn it! That's an order!" Beerus said, tears swelling up his eye.

Whis closed his eyes and calmly tapped his staff on the ground. They were enveloped in light and sent hurtling through space. Yet even at these blistering speeds, the light of Zeno's wrath was fast approaching.

"Faster Whis, faster!" Beerus screamed, leaving Earth, nay, the galaxy behind to its damnation.

Whis closed his eyes and tried to remain calm, ignoring the drops of sweat trickling off his forehead, "I can buy us a little time..."

He used his time reverse repeatedly to give them a few extra seconds, but Zeno's light simply sped up. It sought the death of all things, and not even Angels were an exception.

"We're eventually going to reach the end of the universe, Lord Beerus...!" Whis said, slightly panicking.

"I don't care! Keep pressing onward!" Beerus grit his teeth and thrust his hand forward, desperation driving him to tackle the boundaries of his world the same way he did all in his way.

"HAKAI!" He screamed, throwing every ounce of destructive power coursing through his body into the barrier surrounding their universe.

And to his and Whis' surprise, they shattered their way through, narrowly escaping Zeno's omnicide.

Time passed for quite a while before the two regained their composure and stared down the edge of their universe, seeing nothing but a pure blank canvas wrapped by a new, starry expanse.

"Its all gone..." Whis murmured.

"..." Beerus stared.

"Lord Beerus...?"

Beerus raised his shaking hands and stared at them, "How are we...still alive?"

"Hmmm..." Whis hummed curiously, "You raise a good point, Lord Beerus. With our universe gone, so too should we..."

"They're all dead...Dead or gone...!" Beerus' hands trembled violently and he lashed his arms down to roar, his voice powerful enough to rock the heavens.

"DAMN IT!" His energy burst forth, not fazing Whis in the slightest, "I wasn't strong enough! Me, a God of Destruction!"

"None of us were. Those monsters simply outclassed us..." Whis said in a somber tone.

Beerus squeezed his fists and hunched over, "I was weak...! I shouldn't have been so weak...!"

"Goku...you were supposed to be the one to surpass me...and now...!"

Beerus shook for a while longer, then began to raise his body up, staunchly staring up into space, "...They'll pay for this, Whis."

His eyes narrowed and a thick aura surrounded his body, "Its fate that we're still alive. And I will use this opportunity to hunt down and destroy all the 'higher-ups', even if it destroys me in the process...! They'll understand...what it truly means to piss of a God of Destruction!"

Present Day...

Beerus continued to crick his neck around while murmuring, "Nothing, Whis..."

"Well," Whis stood upright and looked towards the endless depths of space, "Where shall we go now?"

"Hmph!" Beerus tucked his arms behind his back and gave it some thought, "I'm starting to think the one who led us on this path hasn't been entirely upfront with us. Don't you agree?"

"Ah yes, that silver-haired person did strike me as a secretive sort." Whis said, rubbing his chin.

"What was his name again?" Beerus grumbled, scratching the side of his head while thinking.

"I believe he said it was...Alvis?" Whis remarked.

"Ah right. Alvis. That sounds right," Beerus put his arms back and stated, "Alright I've decided! Whis! We're going to force that Thanos fellow into an alliance with us and hunt down that Alvis person to demand answers from him."

"Sounds like a plan, Lord Beerus," Whis guided their ride through space with a smile, and a slightly curious hum, "It feels like we're uncovering a rather interesting mystery, don't you agree?"

"Yes, indeed," Beerus murmured, "And perhaps someday in the future, we'll need that boy's help to solve it..."

Next Time: Vengeance of the Sins