In Universe Six, Champa reclined on a hillside overlooking one of Earth's most scenic valleys, surrounded by enough barbecued meat to feed a small army. He bit into another perfectly seasoned skewer with the enthusiasm of someone who'd discovered paradise and refused to leave.
Thanks to the Super Dragon Balls' wish after the tournament, Earth had been restored to Universe Six—not just the planet itself, but the entire human civilization complete with all their culinary traditions intact. For the past several months, Champa had been conducting what he called "essential research," which mostly involved eating his way through every restaurant, food stall, and home kitchen willing to cook for a God of Destruction.
Having our own Earth is the best thing that's ever happened to this universe, Champa thought, not for the first time. The sentiment had become something of a mantra.
But beneath the gluttony and apparent relaxation lurked a deeper anxiety that no amount of good food could completely suppress. Lord Zeno's casual comment after the Universe Six versus Seven tournament echoed through Champa's mind constantly. As one of the gods who had essentially provoked that interest by requesting the inter-universe tournament in the first place, he couldn't forget those words. They haunted him, turning his stomach into knots at the most random moments.
Eating helped. When his mouth was full and his taste buds were overwhelmed with flavor, the fear receded to manageable levels. So he ate, and ate, and ate some more.
But apparently, even Gods of Destruction couldn't avoid fate forever.
"Lord Champa," Vados's melodious voice cut through his food-induced fugue state. She materialized beside him wearing that knowing smile that suggested she found his anxiety both transparent and amusing. "The Grand Priest has sent word. All Gods of Destruction and Supreme Kais are to report to the Palace of Omni-King immediately."
Champa bit down so hard in surprise that he nearly severed his own tongue. He launched to his feet, barbecue skewer clattering to the ground forgotten. "WHAT?!"
"It seems the moment you've been dreading has finally arrived."
"Please tell me it's not about the tournament," Champa pleaded, though his voice lacked any real conviction. "Please, Vados, tell me it's something else—anything else. Some administrative meeting about cosmic zoning laws or something."
"Haha! Lord Champa, wouldn't you prefer to wipe your mouth before we depart? You have sauce all over your face."
Vados covered her mouth delicately as she laughed at her charge's frantic appearance. Despite the gravity of the summons, she couldn't help but find his panic endearing in its own way.
Meanwhile, in Universe Seven's Destroyer Realm, Beerus had a remarkably similar reaction.
"The Palace of Omni-King?!" He shot to his feet the moment Whis delivered the news, immediately beginning to pace back and forth across the pristine grass. His tail lashed behind him in agitation. "Now? He's calling us now?"
Of all the Gods of Destruction across the twelve universes, Beerus might have been the most reluctant to attend any gathering of his peers. His relationships with the other destroyers ranged from "tense" to "actively hostile"—several of them he literally couldn't hold a conversation with for more than thirty seconds before someone threw a punch. The idea of being trapped in close quarters with all of them made his fur stand on end.
"Lord Beerus, we cannot be late," Whis reminded him gently but firmly. "This is Lord Zeno's direct command. There's no option to decline."
"I know that!" Beerus snapped, though the anger was more fear than actual irritation. He stopped pacing and looked at Whis with uncharacteristic vulnerability. "I just... I have a terrible feeling about this, Whis. Something bad is going to happen. I can feel it in my bones." He paused, then added almost as an afterthought: "Raditz will be there too, right? As Supreme Kai?"
"Every Supreme Kai and God of Destruction from all twelve universes will be in attendance."
Beerus took a deep breath, his expression cycling through several emotions before settling on reluctant determination. "Fine. Raditz won't cause trouble at least. That's something." He straightened his posture, forcing his shoulders back in a display of false confidence. "Alright, Whis. Let's get this over with before I change my mind."
"Right away, Lord Beerus." Whis allowed himself a small smile of approval at his charge's attempt at courage.
Across the multiverse, similar scenes played out in varying degrees of panic, excitement, or stoic acceptance. The summons reached every God of Destruction and Supreme Kai simultaneously, and within the span of mere minutes, all of them were making preparations to answer Zeno's call.
None dared delay. Not when the Omni-King himself had requested their presence.
The journey to Zeno's Palace took no time at all—the Angels simply created passages through dimensional space, allowing their charges to step from their home universes directly into the cosmic void where the palace resided. One by one, the divine retinues arrived, materializing in the grand throne room where Zeno waited.
It was an impressive sight, if somewhat intimidating in scale. Forty-eight beings in total—twelve Gods of Destruction, twelve Supreme Kais, twelve Angels, and the twelve attendants of Zeno's guards arranged in perfect symmetry. They organized themselves into two orderly rows flanking the central path that led to Zeno's throne, kneeling in unison to show their respect.
The most powerful gods in all of existence, gathered in a single room. Between them, they held the authority to create or destroy galaxies, to shape the fundamental laws of their respective universes, to influence the course of history across billions of years. Yet here, before the small child-like figure sitting on that oversized throne, every one of them bowed their heads in absolute deference.
Zeno's authority wasn't just supreme—it was absolute in a way that transcended normal hierarchies of power.
"Welcome, everyone!" Zeno's cheerful voice rang out, his legs swinging happily from his seat. He seemed genuinely pleased to see so many faces gathered together.
The Grand Priest stepped forward, staff in hand, his expression serene and professional. "Thank you all for answering Lord Zeno's summons so promptly. We have gathered you here today because Lord Zeno has an important announcement to make." He paused, allowing the weight of his words to settle. "Lord Zeno wishes to hold a tournament encompassing all twelve universes."
Murmurs rippled through the assembled gods. A twelve-universe tournament? The scale was unprecedented, but not necessarily alarming. This seemed like it might just be Zeno's equivalent of wanting to watch an entertaining show.
"A competition between all twelve universes?" someone whispered.
"That's... actually not as bad as I feared," another voice muttered quietly.
Several of the gods who had arrived expecting catastrophic news visibly relaxed, tension bleeding from their shoulders. A few discreetly wiped sweat from their foreheads. If this was just about organizing some martial arts matches, well, that was manageable. Stressful, perhaps, but manageable.
The Grand Priest's smile never wavered as he continued speaking. "However—"
That single word made everyone freeze.
"—Lord Zeno has determined that twelve universes are somewhat... redundant. Therefore, he has decided to reduce that number. Any universe that is eliminated during this tournament will be erased completely."
The throne room erupted into chaos.
"COMPLETELY ERASED?!" Roh, the Supreme Kai of Universe Nine, practically shrieked the words, his composure shattering entirely. His face had gone pale, hands trembling where they pressed against the floor.
Shocked exclamations followed from nearly every corner of the room. Gods who had served for millions of years, who had witnessed the birth and death of countless civilizations, found themselves genuinely terrified for the first time in their immortal lives. The lower-ranked universes in particular seemed on the verge of panic—these were gods whose cosmic portfolios included trillions upon trillions of mortal lives, all of which now hung in the balance based on the outcome of a martial arts tournament.
The sacred warmth of the Omni-King's Palace, which should have felt like the most protected place in all existence, now carried a bone-chilling cold that seemed to seep into everyone's souls.
Raditz, kneeling in his position among the Universe Seven contingent, remained outwardly calm. Unlike most of the gods present, he wasn't particularly surprised by this development. He'd suspected something like this might be coming—Zeno's childlike nature combined with his absolute power made this sort of casual universe-pruning almost inevitable. The Omni-King saw reality as his playground, and apparently twelve universes cluttered up his toy box too much.
As for Universe Seven's chances... well, Raditz felt reasonably confident. The ranking system used average mortal level across an entire universe, which theoretically put them at a disadvantage given their massive population of regular humans. But the actual tournament would be fought by selected warriors, and Universe Seven had no shortage of exceptional fighters. Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, the reformed Androids, Rukon showing incredible potential, Broly, even Frieza if they got desperate enough...
Though I suppose we can blame Beerus for our mediocre average, Raditz thought with dark amusement. If he'd actually done his job as God of Destruction instead of sleeping for decades at a time, we wouldn't have such a bloated mortal population dragging down our metrics.
But weaker universes didn't have that luxury. For gods like Roh of Universe Nine, this announcement was a death sentence waiting to be carried out.
The Grand Priest raised one hand, and miraculously, the panicked chatter died down to nervous silence. "Please, everyone, remain calm. I understand this news is... shocking. However, Lord Zeno's decision is final. Now then—" He tapped his staff once, and a holographic display materialized in the air showing all twelve universe symbols. "Many of you are wondering which universes stand the best chance of survival. The top four ranked universes will be exempt from the erasure if they lose in the tournament"
That caused another wave of murmuring, though this time tinged with desperate hope. Four universes would be safe automatically? That changed the calculus considerably—for some, anyway.
"Before announcing the detailed rules, allow me to reveal the current rankings of all universes based on their mortal level scores." The Grand Priest's expression remained pleasantly neutral, as if he were discussing something as mundane as the weather. "In first place: Universe One."
Anato, the Supreme Kai of the First Universe, maintained his composure admirably, though a small smile of satisfaction crossed his features. Of course they were first. Universe One had always prided itself on excellence.
"Second place: Universe Twelve. Third place: Universe Five. Fourth place: Universe Eight."
The four safe universes had been named. Everyone else in the room felt their stomachs drop.
"Fifth place—" The Grand Priest paused, perhaps for dramatic effect, though his expression gave nothing away. "—Universe Seven."
Time seemed to stop.
Beerus's jaw dropped so far it was a miracle it remained attached to his skull. Shin the Supreme Kai stared straight ahead in complete shock, unable to process what he'd just heard. Old Kai's eyes had gone wide as dinner plates. Even Whis allowed his perpetual smile to shift into genuine surprise.
Not far away, Quitela—God of Destruction of Universe Four—looked like he'd been physically struck. Roh of Universe Nine appeared to have temporarily forgotten how to breathe. Even Anato, safely ensconced in first place, seemed stunned by the announcement.
And Raditz? Despite having confidence in Universe Seven's combat potential, even he found himself doubting his own ears. Fifth? FIFTH?!
"Sixth place: Universe Eleven—" the Grand Priest continued smoothly, but hardly anyone was listening anymore.
"That's impossible!" someone gasped.
"Universe Seven was in the bottom tier just a few years ago!"
"They were competing with Universe Nine for last place! How did they jump to fifth?!"
Roh looked like he might actually faint. His universe had been languishing at the bottom of the rankings for as long as anyone could remember, accepting their fate as the weakest link. And now Universe Seven—their companion in cosmic mediocrity—had suddenly rocketed up to fifth place? It was like being the worst student in class for years, resigned to failing together, and then one day discovering your study buddy had secretly aced every exam and was now heading to an Ivy League school.
His face had gone from pale to absolutely bloodless.
"There is nothing impossible about it," the Grand Priest said, his tone gentle but firm, addressing Roh directly. "Ever since Raditz assumed the position of Supreme Kai, Universe Seven's growth has been extraordinary. The implementation of systematic development programs, the spread of martial arts across all four galaxies, the coordination between different civilizations to share knowledge and techniques—these initiatives have borne remarkable fruit." He turned his gaze to Beerus, adding: "Of course, Lord Beerus's contributions should not be overlooked either."
Beerus barely registered the compliment. He was too busy fighting the overwhelming urge to grab Raditz and spin him around in celebration. Fifth place! FIFTH! I've never—we've never— His mind couldn't even form coherent thoughts. The pride and relief washing over him was almost overwhelming.
Shin, meanwhile, understood exactly what had led to this miraculous improvement. As the one who had implemented Raditz's vision on the ground level, he'd watched Universe Seven transform over the past years. The martial arts academies established on countless worlds. The exchange programs allowing different species to learn from each other. The systematic elevation of civilizations from primitive to space-faring. The coordination between the four galactic quadrants to ensure balanced development.
They'd turned Universe Seven into something unprecedented—not the strongest individuals, perhaps, but the most unified, the most cooperative, the most dedicated to collective growth.
"Raditz," Old Kai said quietly, his voice thick with emotion he didn't bother hiding. "This is really your doing, isn't it?"
"I didn't expect we'd improve this much," Raditz admitted, allowing himself a genuine smile. The ranking was shocking even to him, but in hindsight, perhaps it shouldn't have been. He'd worked hard—they'd all worked hard—to elevate their universe. Apparently, that effort had paid off in ways he hadn't fully appreciated.
It seems raising a universe's level isn't as difficult as everyone thinks, he mused. It just requires actually putting in the work instead of letting things stagnate for millions of years.
Beerus was so overwhelmed with joy that he nearly grabbed Raditz into an embrace right there in front of everyone. Fifth place! He'd never—Universe Seven had never—achieved such a high ranking in his entire tenure as God of Destruction. And to receive praise from the Grand Priest on top of it? This was beyond his wildest dreams.
Shin understood better than anyone what had led to this miraculous turnaround. As the one responsible for implementing all of Raditz's enhancement initiatives, he'd witnessed Universe Seven's transformation firsthand. The martial arts academies were thriving across countless worlds now. The four major galaxies had learned to coordinate their development, sharing techniques and knowledge freely. Progress was happening at an astonishing rate. Their average mortal level still wasn't exceptionally high due to their enormous population, but they excelled in something other universes lacked: unity. Universal cooperation. A willingness to grow together and share methods that allowed them to achieve results that isolated, competitive universes simply couldn't replicate.
{Note: in this story, all universe will participate on the tournament, but the top four in ranking are free from erasure threat, they are there purely for the Super Dragon Ball}