Laitses snapped his head around, his eyes locking onto the swirling vortex that led to the Gate of Advancement.
"What do you mean? You're seriously planning to keep fighting him?" Super Perfect Cell stared at Laitses in disbelief, his voice filled with confusion and concern.
The Gate of Advancement was already beginning to close. It wouldn't be long before it shut completely, yet Laitses showed no intention of backing down. From the look of things, he still planned to settle things with Z Broly.
"I know what I'm doing," Laitses said coldly, his voice carrying a firm resolve that left no room for argument.
Trunks frowned. He had no idea what Laitses was planning, but there was no time to stand around figuring it out.
"Forget it. Leave him," Trunks said, turning without hesitation. "We're going."
He immediately headed straight for the Gate of Advancement.
Every second mattered now. Trunks had no intention of wasting precious time just because Laitses had suddenly decided to do something inexplicable. Besides, Laitses was still someone whose background remained unclear, Trunks had never fully lowered his guard around him. At a critical moment like this, there was no way he would allow himself to be dragged down by someone else's decision.
Super Perfect Cell had been hesitating, but the moment he saw Trunks leave so decisively, he instantly made up his mind. Following Trunks was obviously the smartest choice.
"Boss, wait for me!" Cell called out, hurrying after him.
Before leaving, he turned around and waved hard at Laitses. "Watch yourself! Don't get yourself killed!"
Then he rushed after Trunks as quickly as he could, as though being even a single step late might cost him his chance to advance.
Hit, who had also been hesitating slightly, made his decision after seeing the others leave. He immediately followed.
"If you can still move, then hurry up and catch up! Don't waste time!" By the time he finished shouting, he had already vanished from Laitses's sight.
Laitses watched as Trunks, Hit, and Super Perfect Cell grew farther away before finally vanishing into the Gate of Advancement. A helpless smile appeared on his face, and he shook his head.
"Mm. Still as decisive as ever." His expression softened slightly. "But that's fine too..."
Laitses took a deep breath, his eyes turning resolute. "I respect your decision. And this time... I'll definitely change everything."
He turned back toward Z Broly, his gaze slowly traveling over the massive Saiyan. "You're nothing like what I expected."
Z Broly, of course, had no interest in whatever Laitses was muttering. In the next instant, he exploded forward again.
Laitses briefly glanced at the distant Gate of Advancement. "Still a little time left," he murmured to himself. "So, Laitses... what are you going to do now?"
He paused. "This really does feel strange. Saying my own name out loud still feels awkward. Good thing 'Laitses' is just a fake name I made up on the spot."
BOOM!
Z Broly's attack abruptly cut off his muttering. By now, a layer of purple flames had already begun wrapping around Broly's body.
Laitses's pupils contracted sharply as he immediately sensed the difference in this power. '"Destruction Energy?!"'
Z Broly concentrated Destruction Energy around his fist and launched himself toward Laitses at terrifying speed.
Laitses's eyes trembled. So Hit had been telling the truth, Z Broly really had mastered Destruction Energy.
Purple destructive aura scattered through the air, seemingly erasing everything around it. Laitses could already feel the crushing pressure of the approaching punch. He crossed both arms in front of his chest.
BANG!
Blinding arcs of electricity erupted everywhere, followed instantly by Laitses's agonizing scream.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
Hearing it only made Z Broly even more excited. "Hahahaha! Kid! Let's see how long you can keep holding out!"
Z Broly went berserk, pouring even more Destruction Energy from his body as he pushed the power as far as he currently could. Purple energy completely engulfed his massive frame. Even his long, pale-green hair, which reached down to his waist, began showing traces of purple.
Z Broly didn't care whether Laitses could withstand the attack or not. At that moment, all he cared about was the thrill of destruction. He hadn't even considered what would happen if Laitses were completely erased body and soul, and if that happened, Zeno would surely erase him afterward.
The instant Champa realized this, he shot up from his seat inside Universe 6's observation room as though he'd been struck by lightning.
"Damn it! That Broly is completely insane!" Champa's roar echoed throughout the room.
Vados, standing beside him, frowned slightly. A trace of worry and helplessness flashed through her eyes as she remembered how Champa had once insisted on teaching Z Broly how to use Destruction Energy.
"Lord Champa, I warned you several times from the very beginning," she said, her tone carrying a hint of reproach. "Someone as violent and uncontrollable as Z Broly could never become a qualified successor to the God of Destruction."
"But... I was only thinking about what was best for Universe 6!" Champa pouted like a child refusing to admit he had done something wrong, his round face turning red.
Vados sighed deeply. "Teaching him Destruction was already something extremely difficult to control. And now, the drawbacks are beginning to show. He hasn't even stopped to think about the consequences of completely destroying that contestant from Universe 10."
Champa froze. Then, somehow, he immediately latched onto what he considered the most important part.
"Wait, Vados. What did you just say? Universe 10?" He frowned in confusion. "Wasn't Universe 7 the one that formed an alliance with us? Why is there suddenly someone from Universe 10 involved?"
Champa muttered to himself, "I thought that guy was from Universe 7 too..."
His head was suddenly filled with questions.
Vados finally lost her patience. "Lord Champa!" She raised her voice. "Why do you always focus on the least important part?! This is an emergency! Now is not the time to worry about something like that!"
While the two were arguing, something new happened on the screen.
Z Broly had been hammering Laitses with Destruction Energy for quite some time. And yet, Laitses's body still hadn't been consumed or erased. He was clearly in tremendous pain, but he was still alive.
"My master once told me... that traveling across time and space could lead to unexpected changes," Laitses gritted his teeth, forcing the words out. "Looks like he was right."
Z Broly stared at him mockingly. "Die!!!"
His Destruction Energy surged even higher, shooting a massive pillar of purple energy straight into the sky.
Laitses struggled desperately against it with both hands. "So this is Destruction Energy..." He grimaced. "It really is troublesome."
His words sounded like an admission of weakness, but his body never stopped resisting.
Z Broly continued pressing forward, grinning as he watched the pain twist Laitses's face. "You'll pay for your arrogance."
But in the very next instant, the strain on Laitses's face suddenly vanished. It was as though the overwhelming pressure crushing him had disappeared entirely.
"Oh?" Laitses smiled. "Is that so? So this supposedly powerful Destruction Energy of yours... isn't really all that impressive."
WHOOSH!
A blinding light suddenly erupted from Laitses's body. His entire figure turned bright red, as though he had become a massive bomb burning from within, and the temperature around him soared to terrifying levels, warping the very air.
Z Broly immediately sensed what was happening. This guy was going to self-destruct!
It was an utterly insane, extreme move. Alarm bells went off in Broly's mind, but it was already too late. Before he could react, an enormous wave of energy erupted from Laitses's body.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A gigantic mushroom cloud rose into the sky, blotting out everything above it. The devastating shockwave spread outward like a rampaging beast, swallowing and tearing apart everything in its path.
The deafening explosions continued for a full minute before finally dying down.
And once everything settled... the Snowfield Module was gone.
The vast frozen battlefield once covered in thick snow had been completely annihilated. Solid ground had been reduced to nothing, leaving only a handful of scattered fragments floating silently in midair.
(End Of This Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 60 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395