This novel is finished and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
"Whoosh!"
A ripple of energy, like shimmering tides of illusion, surged through the air. In the blink of an eye, Jiang Chen and Bardock vanished from where they stood.
Seventh Universe. Earth. The Lookout
"Whoosh!"
That same ripple of illusionary energy swept across the sky again. In a flash, Jiang Chen reappeared on the Lookout, with Bardock beside him.
"…This place is?"
Bardock blinked, momentarily dazed as his form stabilized in this unfamiliar location. His sharp, battle-hardened eyes instinctively scanned his surroundings with cautious curiosity.
They were clearly high in the atmosphere, floating above a vast planet.
The gravity here felt noticeably lighter than on Planet Vegeta. Bardock's body felt almost weightless, and he could sense a subtle rise in his battle power just by standing still.
"Bardock Oji San, this is Earth," Jiang Chen said with a gentle smile. "Give me a moment, I'll call Aunt Gine, Raditz, and Kakarrot."
As he spoke, Jiang Chen spread his spiritual awareness, extending his ki across the entire planet. With his powerful divine sense, he easily located Son Goku and Raditz. As for Gine, she had been living peacefully here for quite some time now.
Surrounded by both her sons and even her grandson, Gine's heart had long been put at ease. The pain and sorrow of her past had quietly faded away.
"Alright…" Bardock nodded, visibly moved. Just the thought of reuniting with his wife and sons made his heart pound uncontrollably.
Jiang Chen naturally understood Bardock's emotions.
That was precisely why he hadn't brought Bardock straight to Toki Toki City, the divine realm of time. Instead, he had chosen to bring him to Earth first, for family.
"Swoosh, Swoosh! Boom!"
Moments later, several powerful auras streaked through the sky, heading straight for the Lookout.
"They're here," Jiang Chen said calmly.
Bardock's gaze snapped toward the horizon, where several figures were rapidly closing the distance.
As their outlines became clearer, Bardock's strong frame trembled ever so slightly.
"…Bardock? Is it really you…?" Gine was the first to land. The moment she laid eyes on him, her entire body shook. Her voice cracked, and tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.
"…Father." Raditz called out softly, his voice filled with complex emotions. Unlike them, Son Goku looked more puzzled than emotional. His expression was curious, studying this warrior whose face closely resembled his own.
"…That's Grandpa?"
Peeking out from behind Goku was a small boy with purple hair, Son Gohan, Goku's son, watching the scene unfold with wide, innocent eyes. By then, Gine had already thrown herself into Bardock's arms, clinging to him tightly.
The two embraced silently, letting time flow around them as the world faded into the background.
It was only after a long pause that they slowly separated.
"Bardock, look! This is Kakarrot! And this… This is Son Gohan, our grandson! Kakarrot's son!" Her voice trembled with joy as Gine eagerly introduced the child, unable to contain her excitement.
"…Kakarrot's son?" Bardock's eyes sparkled with surprise. He turned toward the boy, toward Son Gohan, who peeked out shyly from behind his father.
"…Dad." Goku scratched his head, chuckling awkwardly. Then he gave a wide, cheerful grin.
"Good kid! I heard you took down Cooler! Not bad at all, you really are my son!" Bardock broke into a hearty laugh, his expression full of pride. He reached out and slapped Goku warmly on the shoulder.
"Dad…" Goku looked even more bashful now, scratching the back of his head with that familiar sheepish smile.
"No need to be embarrassed," Bardock said with a warm chuckle. "I can tell, you've become incredibly powerful. And your kid's not bad either. His potential might even surpass that of King Vegeta's son back in the day."
Though Bardock's understanding of advanced ki manipulation was still fairly basic, his warrior instincts allowed him to sense the overwhelming energy radiating from both Goku and the young Gohan.
It left him genuinely awestruck.
Goku's power made sense, Jiang Chen had already told him that his youngest son had defeated Cooler, the brother of the tyrant Frieza.
But Bardock hadn't expected his grandson to be this strong too.
"Bardock Oji San, Gohan's potential is phenomenal," Jiang Chen said with a smile. "He's not even eight years old yet, and he's already mastered the Super Saiyan transformation."
Whether it was due to Goku's current strength in this timeline or a more harmonious genetic match with Bulma, this version of Gohan possessed talent that far exceeded what Bardock would have imagined, on par with Goten from alternate histories. By eight, he had already achieved the iconic golden form.
"Eight years old and already a Super Saiyan?!" Bardock's eyes flew open in shock, staring at Jiang Chen as if he'd just heard the most absurd thing in the universe.
He turned his gaze from Gohan to Goku, then to Jiang Chen again.
For a moment, Bardock couldn't help but question if this was all some kind of illusion. He still remembered how thrilled he had been when he first unlocked the Super Saiyan form himself.
That golden-haired warrior was said to be a myth, one who only appeared once every thousand years.
And now…?
Not only had he learned that Aspara could go Super Saiyan, but so could his youngest son. And now even his under-eight grandson had awakened the form? Suddenly, Bardock couldn't help but feel like the title of "legendary" had lost some of its weight.
"…Aspara too? Wasn't Super Saiyan supposed to be a once-in-a-millennium legend?" Bardock muttered to himself, his expression caught somewhere between amazement and existential confusion.
"Dad, it's not just Kakarrot, Aspara, and Gohan… I can transform too." Raditz, watching his father's increasingly stunned expression, crossed his arms and spoke up, just a little annoyed that he was being overlooked.
"Y-You too?!" Bardock whipped his head around to look at his eldest son, utterly bewildered now.
'What in the stars was going on? How many Super Saiyans were running around these days? Wasn't this supposed to be a one-in-a-thousand-years deal?'
"Bardock Oji San," Jiang Chen said with a knowing grin, seeing the veteran warrior's spiraling confusion, "Super Saiyan and Legendary Super Saiyan aren't the same thing."
"Super Saiyan is a powerful transformation, yes, but any Saiyan with enough potential and the right emotional trigger can achieve it. The Legendary Super Saiyan, though… that's different. That's the singular warrior who only appears once every thousand years, the one who surpasses all others."
As a dimensional traveler from another reality, Jiang Chen clearly understood the distinction between the two.
'Yes, Super Saiyan was an incredible power-up.'
Even the basic form could elevate a warrior's battle level to 150 million, back in the early Dragon Ball Z era, which was stronger than Frieza, the so-called Emperor of the Universe.
Back then, it wouldn't have been an exaggeration to call it the ultimate form in existence. But when you look at things from the perspective of the greater multiverse, a battle power of 150 million is barely scratching the surface.
In contrast, the Legendary Super Saiyan operates on a completely different tier.
Not only do they start off with a base power already in the tens of thousands, but what truly makes them terrifying is their limitless growth potential.
Take Broly from the original continuity as an example.
(To Be Continued…)