Son Goku stood to one side, quietly watching everything unfold before him.
He saw Jiren Zamasu's originally calm and composed face tremble involuntarily the moment the sudden announcement rang out.
A flash of shock and disbelief instantly appeared in his deep eyes.
Clearly, the development of events had far exceeded Jiren Zamasu's original expectations. He had never imagined that the powerful Toppo Zamasu would be eliminated so easily.
Not only that, but he had also become the very first contestant from Universe 10 to be knocked out!
The outcome was completely unexpected.
However, despite the shock and unwillingness in his heart, Jiren Zamasu knew that what was done was done. The result could no longer be changed.
All he could do was grit his teeth and force himself to accept this harsh reality.
Meanwhile, inside Universe 10's spectator room, the atmosphere was equally heavy.
Besides Zamasu, a large and imposing figure had appeared at some point.
Looking closely, it was none other than the recently defeated Toppo Zamasu.
With his head lowered and his face filled with guilt, he spoke in a subdued voice.
"I... I'm sorry, Lord Zamasu. I failed to live up to your expectations and couldn't defeat my opponent."
At first, Zamasu's expression was indeed somewhat unpleasant upon hearing the apology, but he quickly suppressed his dissatisfaction.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, he replied calmly,
"It's fine. You've already done your best. Victory and defeat are common in battle. This won't affect Universe 10's ultimate goal of winning the championship."
As he spoke, he gently patted Toppo Zamasu's broad shoulder in consolation.
Then he smiled confidently.
"The winners can only be us."
Seeing this, Gowasu, who was standing behind Zamasu, also stepped forward to comfort Toppo Zamasu.
"You've already performed very well. Leave the rest to the others."
Angel Kusu's beautiful and profound eyes shifted slightly as her gaze landed on Toppo Zamasu.
She carefully examined him from head to toe. However, what greatly surprised her was that although this person was also named Zamasu, his strength far surpassed that of the Zamasu from their own universe.
The discovery was truly unexpected.
Logically speaking, if they were counterparts from different timelines, they should occupy relatively equal positions.
After all, they shared similar abilities and backgrounds.
Yet the situation before her was completely different.
This considerably stronger Zamasu was actually addressing their universe's Zamasu as "Lord."
At that moment, the elephant-like God of Destruction, Rumsshi, also turned his attention toward the burly Toppo Zamasu standing behind him.
After observing him for a while, Rumsshi became absolutely certain that this man was definitely not one of the assistants he had originally recruited.
Frowning, he turned toward Zamasu and demanded,
"Zamasu, did you secretly replace all the people I recruited?"
In the past, he had remained silent.
But now that he had learned of Zamasu's plan, he had finally begun voicing his opinions.
Zamasu immediately bowed slightly and responded politely,
"Lord Rumsshi, to be honest, I've recruited a total of nine people as powerful as Toppo. Based on my observations, among the people you brought in, only one of them had combat power that was even remotely acceptable. So please forgive me for replacing the original team members behind your back. To keep you from noticing, I even had them imitate the previous members' ridiculous poses."
"Because I was afraid you wouldn't approve of my methods either."
What Zamasu was referring to were the ridiculous poses performed by Universe 10's contestants before the tournament began.
At that moment, Rumsshi finally couldn't hold back his laughter. The sound was filled with relief, as though a burden he had carried for a long time had suddenly been lifted.
Before this, he had been fully aware of the strength and caliber of Universe 10's fighters.
He had no real options. No matter who he picked, they were all little more than useless weaklings.
Faced with opponents of such overwhelming strength, he had genuinely felt helpless and out of options. But now, after learning about Zamasu's carefully arranged plan…
An indescribable joy surged through his heart, and a gratified smile appeared on his face.
Because he knew very well that if they lost this fierce competition, their universe would face complete erasure.
Just think about it, among all the universes present, who would willingly accept such a tragic fate?
In the past, Rumsshi truly had no better choice, but now, the situation was completely different.
Since he knew about Zamasu's plan, he had already decided to support him with everything he had.
Thus, he burst into laughter and said,
"Hahaha! Lord Zamasu! Why didn't you tell me all this sooner? If you had such plans from the beginning, you should have discussed them with me earlier!"
Hearing those words, even the usually calm and composed Zamasu was momentarily stunned.
After all, this was the first time God of Destruction Rumsshi had ever addressed him as "Lord."
Although the Kaioshin and the God of Destruction were linked to one another and, in theory, held equal status…
A God of Destruction's strength was always far beyond that of a Kaioshin.
Because of that, a God of Destruction would never normally call a Kaioshin "Lord."
And yet now, for the first time, Zamasu had heard Rumsshi address him in that manner.
It meant that he had finally earned Rumsshi's recognition.
"Lord Zamasu?"
When Zamasu failed to respond, Rumsshi waved a hand in front of his face.
Only then did Zamasu snap back to reality.
The next moment, Rumsshi casually threw an arm around his shoulders as if they were close brothers.
"Lord Zamasu, what do you think our chances of winning are this time?"
This shoulder-to-shoulder display between Rumsshi and Zamasu was something even Angel Kusu had never witnessed before.
It was practically a scene worthy of being recorded in history.
In truth, before the tournament began, Kusu had already prepared herself to enter standby mode.
She knew perfectly well the level of Universe 10.
They were certain to be erased.
For some reason, watching Rumsshi's delighted expression at that moment, Angel Kusu unexpectedly felt that perhaps Zamasu's actions had been the right choice.
Perhaps only when disaster was right at one's doorstep would people learn to cherish the blessings they had once taken for granted.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
"Maybe... Zamasu really was right," She murmured softly.
(End Of This Chapter)
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