Imprisoned in the Void Realm

He already regarded Goten as his best friend. He could not let Goten face danger alone. Goten had saved him twice before; this time, he had to come forward no matter what.

"God of Destruction of the Seventh Universe, you should be thankful that I arrived just in time, so the Seventh Universe wasn't destroyed by the two of them. If the Seventh Universe is destroyed, you, the God of Destruction, cannot escape the responsibility," Grand Priest said, glancing at Beerus. A sharp light flashed in his eyes.

The Grand Priest at this moment was obviously different from his usual gentle and cheerful self. Perhaps what Merno said struck a nerve. Seeing the sharp gaze, Beerus shrank his neck in fright. The fear of the Grand Priest from the depths of his soul was something he could not overcome. This fear had lasted for hundreds of millions of years, deeply rooted in him. His determination quickly disintegrated in the face of this fear.

"Lord Grand Priest, Goten is my son. If you want to punish someone, punish me! I am willing to take the punishment in his place," Goku stepped forward immediately, speaking seriously to the Grand Priest. Since Goten was born, he had never given fatherly love or done him any favors. As a father, he must stand up now.

"Goku, there's no denying your fantastic performance at the Tournament of Power, but don't think you can bargain with a God," Grand Priest glanced at Goku, his tone still indifferent. Although the mortals in the Seventh Universe were impressive, their strength was not enough to bargain in front of a God.

This battle between Goten and Merno had already caused the fall of a God of Destruction. According to the rules of the Gods, there must be punishment. As for the punishment, it had to wait until Zeno woke up to decide.

"The God of Destruction of the Tenth Universe and the Eleventh Universe, you have come to the Seventh Universe to provoke battles without permission, which is a violation of God's rules. So, you will also accept the corresponding punishment."

After the Grand Priest's icy voice fell, he waved his hand, and the bodies of these people disappeared from the Seventh Universe in an instant. Their ki couldn't be sensed at all. Goten didn't even know what was going on. When he appeared again, he was in a space of nothingness. It was a vast expanse of whiteness, similar to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Moreover, the gravity seemed to be a hundred times that of Earth. The God of Destruction of the Tenth and Eleventh Universes had long since disappeared. Only Goten, Grand Priest, and Merno were in this space.

"Lord Grand Priest, what exactly is this place? How do you plan to punish us?" Goten asked with a frown, his tone heavy. He was fully aware of the seriousness of the matter. Although his strength had improved qualitatively in the battle with Merno, he was not strong enough to fight against the Grand Priest. He felt he might be killed in an instant. The most powerful god in the universe was no joke.

"This is the Void Realm, a place where powerful Gods who have committed serious crimes are detained," Merno said with a smile. Despite being brought here, there was no trace of panic on his face. On the contrary, he seemed extremely at ease, as if he had no fear of being held here by the Grand Priest.

"Merno is right, this is indeed the Void Realm, similar to the Null Realm where the Tournament of Power was held. This place has no concept of space, but time flows much faster here than outside. You two will stay here. After Lord Zeno wakes up, he will punish you according to your mistakes," Grand Priest explained lightly.

Generally, Gods who committed serious crimes would be imprisoned here. This place was a different-dimensional space with no boundaries. Moreover, time flowed very fast here. If one lived here for hundreds of years, it would only take a small amount of time outside. Therefore, this place was feared by all Gods.

No god wanted to be locked up here because they would be swallowed by endless boredom and loneliness. A God of Destruction and an Angel might be able to stay in the God of Destruction Realm for hundreds of millions of years, but here, they wouldn't last for hundreds of years. This kind of punishment was as straightforward as waiting to die.

'It looks like this place is very similar to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber,' Goten thought. Fortunately, he had stayed in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for several years, so boredom and loneliness were barely acceptable to him.

"Grand Priest, your approach is too overbearing! What's my fault in this matter? The battle was instigated by your son Merno and the three Gods of Destruction. I just wanted to protect my loved ones from harm. What's wrong with that? You let them go, but want to imprison me in this forsaken place, I am not convinced by such a punishment," Goten said seriously, looking at the Grand Priest.

He was forced into this situation. The God of Destruction he killed was to protect Earth and his loved ones. He couldn't accept being punished the same way as Merno.

"Goten, no matter what happened before, killing the 4th Universe God of Destruction is a fact. It is wrong to kill a God as a mortal being. If you want to object, you will have a chance when Lord Zeno wakes up. I am just responsible for keeping you in this place," the Grand Priest said seriously, without any hint of selfishness. His duty was to temporarily lock up Goten and Merno. As for what Zeno would decide, that was Zeno's business. The Grand Priest would not interfere with the final result.

"Okay, you two stay here until Lord Zeno wakes up. Everything will be resolved then." With that, the Grand Priest disappeared in front of them. As soon as he vanished, blue energy chains appeared under the feet of Goten and Merno, completely restraining them.

"What the hell?" Goten instantly transformed into Super Saiyan Four, trying to break free from the energy chains. But even with all his strength, it was impossible. Even the power of destruction had no effect on the chains.

"Don't waste your efforts, Goten. These chains are so strong that even the Grand Priest would struggle to break free, let alone you! Just stay here. This might be a good training opportunity for you," Merno said, still looking relaxed with a slight smile. From the beginning, he had been calm and unworried.

"Shut up, you bloody bastard! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be trapped in this place! Damn you..." Goten yelled at Merno, raising his ki again. But no matter how much he increased his ki, he couldn't break free from the shackles. The chains didn't move and couldn't be destroyed. They were likely condensed with powerful divine laws, making it impossible to break free unless one had the same level of power.

"Don't be so short-tempered! I'm not joking with you. Your talent is ridiculously strong. Even without training, your strength increases day by day. The flow of time here is faster than in the Time Dimension on Earth, making this a good opportunity for you," Merno continued with a smile.

As the most powerful Angel, his mind reading skills were excellent. He had obtained all the information about Goten by reading the memories of Goku and Vegeta. However, Goten was different. Merno couldn't read his mind at all, which gave him greater confidence in Goten. Maybe what no one else had done before, he could do.

"These bastards..." Goten ignored Merno's words. Merno was also responsible for him being trapped here. If he ever got out, he would kill Merno without hesitation. These indiscriminate Gods were unforgivable.

Time passed day by day in the void. In a blink of an eye, several months had passed. Initially, Goten thought about how to break free from the chains and escape this place. But he slowly realized it was impossible. No matter how hard he tried, the chains couldn't be broken. His mood became more irritable as time went on.

Although he had stayed in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for a long time before, at that time he was relatively free. He could take a good rest after training. But this dastardly place restrained him completely. If it wasn't for his immortality and Majin Buu's ability, he would probably have starved to death by now!

"Goten, you can just stay here! I think it's time for me to get out of here..." Merno suddenly raised his head and said to Goten. In the past few months, he had never become irritable, not even for a moment. From beginning to end, he was extremely peaceful. After entering the Void Realm, Merno was more similar to other Angels. His state of mind was extremely calm.

"Leave??" Goten's expression suddenly froze. Could this guy really get out of this damned place? Why was he trapped for months and never mentioned he could leave?

"I have other things to do. But as I've been telling you, this is a very good opportunity for you. Although it's really boring and lonely here, it's quiet enough to think about your own strength and the abilities you've mastered before. Perhaps during this period, you will undergo a qualitative change... and you will leave here safely," Merno said. As his voice fell, silver-white energy suddenly released from his body.

Rumble!

With the violent trembling of the entire Void Realm, Merno exploded directly. Immediately, the iron chains that bound him disappeared without a trace.

"This... this bastard! He actually blew himself up? Is that how he got out of this damn place? Are you kidding me!" Goten's complexion worsened. Although he really hated Merno, that bastard, at least two people had been locked up here, so he hadn't felt too lonely. But now, he was the only one left. He didn't know how long he would be trapped in this gloomy place. Thinking of this, Goten became even more irritable.

"Grand Priest, bloody bastard, hurry up and let me out of this place! Absolutely unforgivable, you bastards!" His hysterical roar got no response. The entire space was dead silent, terrifyingly quiet.

...

Time kept passing. In a blink of an eye, a year had passed, and Goten calmed down. No matter how much he struggled, roared, or vented, it wouldn't help. Slowly calming down, he finally remembered Merno's words. Trapped here made people feel lonely and bored as death, but it was indeed a good opportunity. He could train well!

When Frieza was killed and bound in that silkworm cocoon, with Angels and small animals beating drums every day, his situation was worse than Goten's. But Frieza carried out mental training in painful torture every day, which allowed him to achieve the Golden Frieza form in a short period after leaving hell.

Thinking of this, Goten suddenly woke up. "The Ultra Instinct... The Ultra Ego... The Dimensional Teleportation Ability of Janemba... Majin Buu's Restoration Ability... and my Legendary Bloodline... Kale's Legendary Bloodline!!!" Goten began to sort out the abilities he had gained and mastered over and over again. Slowly, he closed his eyes and began to meditate.

[T/N: He hasn't absorbed Kale's bloodline, it's still far off in the future.]

...

Meanwhile, in the outside world, only 15 minutes had passed. Beerus and Goku had returned to the God of Destruction Realm. They must find a way to rescue Goten as soon as possible.

"Whis, do you know where Goten was taken by the Grand Priest?" Beerus asked anxiously. They needed to get Goten out, even if it meant losing his position or life.

Goku and Vegeta also looked anxious.

"Lord Beerus, how could I know such a thing? And... even if I knew where Goten was imprisoned, I could never tell you! Because this is the decision of Lord Grand Priest, and as an Angel, I would never go against his decision," Whis said lightly, clearly taking a stand. His first identity was an Angel, and his second identity was the son of the Grand Priest. These two identities were enough for him not to betray the Grand Priest.

"Damn... Damn it!! You bastard. Goten is also your apprentice, and Goten treats you well! How can you do this to him!" Beerus clenched his fists tightly, clearly dissatisfied with Whis' attitude.

"I'm very sorry, Lord Beerus. I do like Goten. But I always know who I am. I am an Angel, so I must follow the Angel's rules," Whis said in a flat tone.