The Grand Priest Appears, Punishment!

"Such behavior that completely violates the rules of Angels, this makes it difficult for me to protect you..." the Grand Priest frowned slightly and said in a low tone. Hundreds of millions of years had passed, but Merno had not changed at all.

The last thing an Angel should have were feelings and emotions. Always remaining neutral was the core duty of an Angel and the basic principle they should follow. Most of the Angels adhered to this well, except for Merno, his former favorite son, once identified as his own successor. Merno had violated the rules of the Angels!

"You two come with me, and let Cognac stay here," the Grand Priest said, taking a look at Zeno, who was taking a nap, before leaving the Temple of Zeno with the two Angels.

...

At this time in the Seventh Universe, Goten and Merno were still fighting fiercely, both using portals in their combat. The battle had lasted more than ten minutes, yet they remained evenly matched. As the fight continued, Goten's strength grew, a benefit of his legendary bloodline, which allowed him to become stronger in the process of fighting against powerful opponents.

Despite suffering numerous injuries, Merno seemed to enjoy the fight immensely. Watching Goten grow stronger little by little in battle made him even happier.

"This guy, what's his plan?" Goten wondered. "It's impossible for him to win against me in this battle, so why is he still laughing? After fighting for so long, I have never felt any killing intent or evil aura from him!"

After more than ten minutes of fighting, Goten's confusion deepened. He initially thought Merno was an evil Angel who had come to the Seventh Universe to cause trouble or help other destroyers vent their anger. But now he completely doubted that idea. Merno had let him kill Quitela and hadn't fought with all his strength, more like he was training him. Even after such a long fight, Goten couldn't sense any malicious intent from Merno, nor did Merno intend to kill him. So what was his purpose?

Boom!

At that moment, they exchanged another heavy punch, hitting each other's chest heavily. Simultaneously, they both retreated a considerable distance.

Belmod and Rumsshi were completely freaked out. The intensity of this battle surpassed their imagination. They now knew that Goten could destroy them in an instant and that Merno would never intervene to stop him. So they trembled with fear, not daring to act rashly, afraid they might end up like Quitela.

Swish!!

After retreating a thousand feet, Goten stabilized his body by releasing his breath. He then flashed forward, appearing in front of Merno again.

"What is your purpose?" Goten asked. "During the battle with you, I didn't feel your killing intent. Why are you looking for me?" He was puzzled by this question.

"It's so awesome, Goten. You are the most powerful mortal I have ever seen. You're also the mortal most likely to change all of this. It is my honor to meet a mortal like you after billions of years," Merno replied, though his answer was irrelevant. His excited and respectful expression showed he wasn't lying.

"Damn! I don't understand what you're talking about! But you bastard, you dared to use Videl to threaten me before. That is absolutely unforgivable..." Seeing the excited and enthusiastic Merno, Goten's expression changed. He attacked again.

Merno responded quickly, knowing that the longer he fought Goten, the stronger Goten would become. This was what he most hoped to see.

Boom! Boom!! Boom!!!

As the two continued to fight, the entire universe began to crumble. Both Whis and Beerus had solemn expressions on their faces. They couldn't stop this fight, but if it continued, the Seventh Universe would be destroyed. Everyone might die here!

"Whis, what now? Can you stop them both?" Beerus asked Whis urgently.

"Stop joking, Lord Beerus," Whis responded, rolling his eyes. "Whether it's big brother Merno or Goten, the power they possess now far surpasses mine. Even if I used my divine power, it wouldn't be enough to stop their battle! Moreover, I can't use my divine power at all to fight."

Whis explained helplessly. Among all the Angels, the strongest was their big brother Merno. This kind of battle was simply beyond Whis's ability to stop. Even if all 12 Angels were here, they probably wouldn't be able to halt this fight. The only one who might be able to stop them was their father, the Grand Priest...

Meanwhile, Goten and Merno were fighting at full strength. Surrounding Goten was a raging grass-green aura flame that formed a massive beam of light, as if it could pierce the entire universe. Merno, on the opposite side, wasn't far behind! A brilliant ki surrounded his body as he prepared to launch his final attack...

"Haaa!" Goten roared, then punched directly at Merno. With this punch, he was 70% certain he could defeat Merno. Yet, Merno appeared completely relaxed, showing no fear of being defeated or even killed by Goten. The power gathered by the two was incredibly strong. The collision of this punch might not only annihilate the entire Seventh Universe in an instant but also impact the surrounding universes.

Beerus and others looked extremely nervous. They knew how serious the consequences would be if this punch landed. However, they also knew Goten and Merno very well. Even after this punch collided, the Seventh Universe wouldn't disappear because both of them had mastered the ability to manipulate space. This ability would allow them to release all the energy into separate dimensions of time and space after the full collision.

As the distance between their fists narrowed to just two meters, Beerus and the others closed their eyes, bracing for the worst. Suddenly, a figure appeared between Goten and Merno, stretching out his hands.

Fwap!!

In the next second, he effortlessly blocked the fists of both Goten and Merno. "You two, please restrain yourselves! Don't you realize that the attack just now would have destroyed the entire Seventh Universe?" A calm and indifferent voice sounded.

Goten and Merno frowned almost simultaneously upon seeing the person in front of them. It was the Grand Priest who had just arrived.

"Lord Grand Priest, we are... saved!" Beerus exclaimed with joy. Just moments ago, he had thought he was going to die for sure. The Grand Priest's timely arrival meant that the Seventh Universe was saved.

The seriousness on Goku and Vegeta's faces disappeared instantly. Only Whis remained solemn. He knew that while the Grand Priest's appearance could save the Seventh Universe, it also meant something much bigger was coming.

"Goten, big brother Merno..." Whis murmured. The battle had resulted in the fall of a God of Destruction and nearly destroyed a universe. As the Grand Priest, he would definitely punish Goten and Merno accordingly.

"So... so good! Lord Grand Priest. We're saved!" Belmod and Rumsshi were the happiest. Moments ago, they had been certain of their deaths. Even if they survived the destruction of the universe, Goten would surely have killed them. Now, with the Grand Priest's arrival, they might not have to die. They might face some punishment, but it was better than being killed.

"Grand Priest..." Goten's face sank instantly, looking troubled.

"Old man, I didn't expect you to come so fast!" Merno said with a playful expression, addressing the Grand Priest without the respect other Angels showed. He did not call him Lord Grand Priest, but instead, called him an old man.

"Merno, Goten, do you realize what you were doing just now?" The Grand Priest's voice was extremely indifferent as he looked at them with serious eyes. "If I hadn't arrived in time, the entire Seventh Universe would have been destroyed by you. Even other universes would have been affected! Hundreds of millions of creatures would have died at your hands. Have you thought about the consequences?"

As he spoke, the Grand Priest was also surprised by Goten's strength. Only half a month had passed since the Tournament of Power, and Goten's strength had grown so much! Facing Merno, he was able to fight to this extent. Merno was his most promising son and the most powerful existence among all Angels, a candidate for the position of Grand Priest...

"Hey!! Is this the sun coming out from the west? It's really rare!" Merno mocked. "My lord Grand Priest, who lives high in the clouds, actually started to sympathize with ordinary creatures who are like ants in your eyes. What? It's so strange that you didn't wipe that little boy's ass behind his back today."

[T/N: ☠️]

Merno's grotesque mockery continued. Because of this matter, he had countless disputes with the Grand Priest, all ending unpleasantly.

"Damn! Damn you old man, this holier-than-thou attitude is really disgusting. You can annihilate several universes in an instant with just a few words. At that time, you didn't think about the hundreds of millions of lives. And now you stand on the moral high ground to criticize us. Don't you think it's ridiculous?" Merno's expression instantly became ferocious. At this moment, he didn't look like an Angel at all. He lacked the gentle and peaceful aura of other Angels, resembling more a mortal filled with anger over unfair treatment.

The Grand Priest frowned slightly after hearing Merno's words. It seemed that even after hundreds of millions of years, Merno had not changed his foolish thinking at all. As an Angel, he should do what an Angel should do. Even he, the Grand Priest, had no right to interfere with any decisions Zeno made! He couldn't fathom where Merno got these pedantic and foolish ideas.

However, the Grand Priest still spoke in a calm tone: "Lord Zeno is the supreme god of all universes and the supreme existence in this universe. The erasure of other universes is Lord Zeno's right. The reason Lord Zeno does this is to make the entire dimensional universe better and more balanced."

The Grand Priest's explanation made Merno even angrier. Even Goten beside him frowned. This statement blatantly implied that only state officials are allowed to set fires, while common people are not allowed to light lamps. Although in this world, where power was paramount, Goten agreed with what the Grand Priest said because it was a fact. But the truth, stated so bluntly, always made people uncomfortable, especially since he was currently an ant that could be easily exterminated in the eyes of the Grand Priest and Zeno.

"Hahaha! What a pedantic and overbearing rule. You really make excuses for him! The same actions are considered pure good when you do them, but evil when we do them. Your attitude hasn't changed at all in hundreds of millions of years," Merno laughed angrily. The same actions were deemed good for them but evil for mortal beings.

At this time, Whis and Beerus's faces became more and more worried. Every word Merno spoke seemed to constantly strike a nerve with the Grand Priest. Anyone else wouldn't dare to confront the Grand Priest, but Merno was different. He was the Grand Priest's most beloved and promising son. When these words came from Merno, they carried a different weight.

The Grand Priest didn't want to discuss this topic further. Merno had been eloquent since he was a child, always spouting such fallacies. It seemed he still did not want to repent. If that was the case, letting him continue to speak might be disastrous!

"Merno, Goten, the battle you two fought just now not only caused the fall of a God of Destruction but also almost led to the destruction of a universe! This is a grave offense. You must follow me to accept Lord Zeno's punishment," the Grand Priest said sternly. Especially Goten, a mortal who killed a God of Destruction! This was unacceptable. Mortals who kill gods must be punished.

After hearing the Grand Priest's words, everyone's faces became very grim.

"Grand Priest, this matter has nothing to do with me! They provoked me first. I was just traveling on this planet when they suddenly came here to fight me. I had no choice but to fight back. As for God of Destruction Quitela from the Fourth Universe, that was just an accident," Goten immediately explained, feeling truly wronged. His pleasant trip had been interrupted by these guys, and they had even threatened him with Videl! Under such circumstances, he had no choice but to fight back.

"Goten is absolutely right, Grand Priest. This matter really has nothing to do with him. If anyone is to be held accountable for Quitela's death, I am most responsible. So if you want to punish someone, please punish me!" Beerus stepped forward, suppressing his fear of the Grand Priest, and spoke earnestly. At this moment, he had to stand up because, in this incident, Goten was originally a victim.