"This guy's strength… has actually increased again?"
At this moment, God of Destruction Vermut had calmed down from his initial shock.
His expression turned grim and dangerous.
It looked as if he was about to attack Katakana himself.
A warrior this powerful,
Might have already surpassed Jiren.
For so long, Vermut had dedicated himself to training Jiren and Toppo.
His goal?
To ensure that Universe 11 would be selected by Zeno as a high-level universe in the next evaluation.
But now, out of nowhere,
This Katakana appeared.
Not only had he defeated Toppo, but now he was about to defeat Jiren as well.
If this continued,
All of Vermut's plans would be ruined.
Every so often, Zeno chooses the strongest among the ten lower-ranked universes to be promoted.
Vermut had been working toward this goal for countless years.
He could not allow some unknown warrior to disrupt everything.
And yet,
He didn't even know which universe Katakana was from!
But one thing was clear,
Katakana's presence would directly affect the rating of Universe 11.
"No matter how long I've worked for this,"
"There's no way I'll let some nobody ruin my plan!"
"I must not let him live."
But just as Vermut was about to act,
He suddenly stopped.
Because at that very moment,
Jiren stood up once again.
And his aura,
Had become even stronger!
Jiren watched Katakana carefully, his expression serious.
Then, in a cold tone, he spoke:
"Even if you've gained great power…"
"You still cannot defeat me."
Despite his injuries,
Jiren's voice remained confident and unwavering.
After all, in his entire life,
No one had ever been his equal.
"Is that so?"
Katakana responded lightly.
"I think you're overestimating yourself."
He didn't take Jiren's words to heart at all.
On the surface, it seemed like both of them were evenly matched.
But in reality,
Katakana's injuries had already fully healed.
With the Rosè Energy from the system, his body was now in peak condition.
To him, Jiren was no longer a threat.
This battle… had already been decided.
"Hahhhh!!"
Jiren let out a deep, roaring battle cry.
Crimson energy exploded from his body!
His tattered uniform ripped apart,
Revealing his massive, muscular frame.
The energy surrounding him roared like an angry dragon.
"Jiren has broken his limits once again!"
"It looks like this fight is still undecided!"
Vermut smirked.
"But regardless of the outcome,"
"Jiren's strength has only grown because of this Mortal!"
A sinister glint appeared in his eyes.
No matter who won this battle,
He would not allow Katakana to leave Universe 11 alive.
No one,
Would be allowed to interfere with his plans.
Beside him, Angel Marcarita observed quietly.
She sighed, then spoke calmly:
"Lord Vermut, I hate to dampen your excitement."
"But even with Jiren's newfound power,"
"Defeating that man will not be easy."
Vermut turned sharply toward her.
"What are you saying?"
He frowned.
"Jiren has just grown even stronger! How can you be so sure that Katakana will win?!"
Of course, Vermut had noticed the immense power boost Jiren had just undergone.
But Jiren was his greatest warrior.
He simply did not want to believe that anyone could surpass him.
Marcarita remained calm.
"If nothing unexpected happens…
Jiren will lose."
Vermut clenched his fists.
"Tch…!"
"Why do you think that?!"
Marcarita sighed again.
"It's not that I doubt Jiren's strength."
"But Katakana's power has already reached another level."
"Even though Jiren has gotten stronger,"
"The gap between them is still too great."
Vermut gritted his teeth.
He refused to believe it.
"Tch! I don't know which God of Destruction trained such a monster,"
"Could it be that damn Beerus?!"
Among the twelve Gods of Destruction, Beerus was one of the strongest.
He hated to admit it,
But Beerus was fully capable of training someone this powerful.
And if Katakana was from Universe 7,
Then it all made sense.
Vermut's eyes narrowed.
He turned to Marcarita.
"Marcarita, since we can't see which universe he's from,"
"Can we determine what race he belongs to?"
"Surely, that would help us figure out where he came from!"
Marcarita smiled playfully.
"Oh? I didn't expect you to think of that, Lord Vermut."
"But yes, that method should work."
Raising her staff, she began scanning for information.
Moments later,
"Saiyan…?"
"Universe 6… and Universe 7?!"
Vermut's eyes narrowed even further.
His mind raced.
If Katakana was from Universe 6,
Then it was unlikely that Champa had sent him here.
He and Champa had always been rivals.
There's no way Champa would let his own warriors come to Universe 11.
But if it was Beerus,
That was a completely different story.
"Tch! That damn Beerus definitely sent him!"
Vermut gritted his teeth, his frustration boiling over.
His eyes burned with pure hatred.
"No matter the result,"
"I will NOT let him leave Universe 11 alive!"
His killing intent surged.
The very air around him twisted from the sheer aura of destruction he unleashed.