The older-sister-type Aeos sneered with open contempt. "Finally done pretending? Bold words from someone who's been hiding behind a mask this whole time. Don't you think you look exhausted, always keeping that act up? You actually think you can beat both of us without breaking a sweat?"
Kuronoa answered without hesitation. "Yes."
Ino had no interest in trading barbs. "End of time, right? Fine. I'll head there first. Kale, take my hand."
A flash of white light — she was gone, taking Kale with her.
Kuronoa followed right behind. Aeos rolled her neck, a languid motion filled with confidence — it had been a very long time since she'd entered Liberation. She leapt high into the air, and with a burst of white light, she too vanished from the Time Nest.
Up in the stands, Sakura had been completely paralyzed by the sheer crushing pressure the three of them had unleashed. Only after they disappeared did the mental suppression lift. She pressed a hand to her flat chest and let out a long, shaky breath. That killing intent had nearly scared her to death.
Someone was going to owe her emotional damages for this.
She instinctively glanced left and right — and that was when the problem became obvious.
Ino was gone. Kale was gone. She'd been left here all alone, a helpless little thing with zero combat ability. Wasn't that kind of dangerous?
"I'm not exactly a fighter, you know. If something goes wrong, big brother, you'd better protect me." Future Trunks and Future Gohan both had young, earnest faces and didn't exactly radiate gravitas, so Sakura latched onto No. 16's arm instead, hoping that for Ino's sake, he'd pull her out of trouble if it came to that.
No. 16, ever the gentleman, gave a solemn nod. "Of course. I will protect you."
The deep-seated unease Future Trunks and Future Gohan felt around Androids was hard to shake — old psychological scars didn't heal overnight. No. 16 was different from No. 17 and No. 18, who'd inflicted so much trauma on them, but calling it warmth would be a stretch. Civil conversation, though? That they could manage.
Future Gohan exchanged a few words with Sakura and told her not to worry — they'd all look out for her.
Future Trunks went back to polishing his long sword, keeping a quiet eye on the warriors from the other two factions — especially the three black-clad fighters on Aeos's side. If anyone was going to pull a dirty move and launch a sneak attack, they were the most likely candidates.
The previous Supreme Kai of Time had left an impression as someone who'd stop at nothing. Who knew what kind of tricks she might have up her sleeve.
Future Trunks sent his counterpart a questioning look.
Trunks had been defeated by Kale, but that didn't diminish his strength or his judgment. As captain of the Time Patrol, he had his own position to consider. He gave a small nod — a signal that if things went sideways, Kuronoa's warriors and Ino's warriors could form a temporary alliance.
They were still exchanging meaningful glances in the silence when, without any warning, Black-clothed Piccolo's voice rang out: "Bardock! What are you doing?!"
Everyone spun around. The black-clad trio, who had been sitting together, had clearly fractured.
A strange crystal had appeared in Black-clothed Bardock's hand.
Caught in the act, he didn't waste a single word of explanation. He crushed the crystal — which pulsed with an eerie, otherworldly glow — and immediately, a teleportation channel materialized: locked onto from an extreme distance in the Demon Realm, painstakingly constructed by dozens of mages working in concert, and now forcibly torn open.
Black-clothed Son Gohan and Black-clothed Piccolo went pale. They had no idea what he was trying to do.
As wave after wave of Demon Clan warriors in black armor poured through the portal, Black-clothed Piccolo — the team's strategist — understood in an instant that something had gone catastrophically wrong.
He'd been suspicious of Aeos before. Now he was certain: this had nothing to do with the former Supreme Kai of Time.
"You fool! Bardock, are you betraying Lady Aeos?! Do you have any idea what you're doing?!" he demanded, his voice sharp and furious.
"Betrayal?" Black-clothed Bardock let out a cold, contemptuous laugh. "That woman pulled me out of my timeline — you think that was her saving me? She was using me. She's been using all of you too. Do any of you actually know what she's thinking? Do you know anything about her past? That arrogant woman has always seen us as tools — nothing but cannon fodder to help her claw back the throne of Supreme Kai of Time. Proud Saiyans don't submit to that kind of slavery! Our bodies are free. Our souls are free!"
Black-clothed Bardock had always been a man of few words — until now. Fury had broken something loose in him, and the words came pouring out in a torrent.
A tall man stepped through the portal. Bardock moved to the left side of the gate and bowed. "Your Majesty. Everything you asked of me — it's done."
The man's voice was slightly muffled. He removed his helmet, revealing a chiseled, weathered face that carried the weight of middle age.
He clapped Bardock on the shoulder in quiet approval.
He had hair that blazed upward like a torch, a full beard, and wore red Saiyan armor with a great crimson cape and immaculate white gloves.
His eyes swept across every Saiyan in the room, radiating absolute authority.
Bardock extended one arm in introduction. "Everyone — regardless of what faction you belonged to, or what timeline you came from — remember one thing: we are all Saiyans. And this man is the King of the Saiyans. King Vegeta!"
Trunks's brow furrowed hard. There was not a trace of joy at the sight of his grandfather.
Future Trunks's expression was equally grim. Things had just gotten a great deal more complicated.
King Vegeta's gaze swept the room. "Every Saiyan here — I know your stories. All of them. We come from different timelines; even Bardock and I are not the same people we once knew. He did not swear loyalty to me, and I did not know him. So standing here and talking about bloodlines or shared history — that would be stupid. And very un-Saiyan."
The broad-browed, sharp-eyed Saiyan King let out a battle cry and surged into Super Saiyan 3.
"I know," he said, his voice ringing like iron, "that through my weakness — through my cowardice — the homes of everyone here were almost all destroyed. Lord Mechikabura saved me. He gave me power beyond what I once had. Now I can finally face the enemies who wronged me. Frieza and Beerus — those two bastards are the ones responsible for the extinction of the Saiyans. We have every right to make them pay. And now — I have the power to do it!"
More Dark Demon Realm soldiers poured through the portal, bypassing the Time Stairs that would kill any ordinary creature who tried to climb them, and stepping directly into the Time Nest.
Towa and the Celestial Mages serving under Demon Realm King Mechikabura emerged one by one. They didn't just have numbers on their side — they were fully rested and ready, and every single one of them watched the Saiyan warriors with mocking, contemptuous eyes.
Even with Senzu Beans, the warriors of all three factions had restored their physical strength — but the deep mental exhaustion from fighting to the edge of death didn't disappear so cleanly. None of them were in top condition.
King Vegeta raised both arms in exaltation. "Join me, all of you! Together we can avenge the Saiyans — and make our people great again!"
Towa chimed in with a smile. "You are all the finest among Saiyans. Why kneel before three fools? Lord Mechikabura will grant you power beyond anything you can imagine. That's exactly what you Saiyans love, isn't it?"
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