Bulla and Son Goten snapped their heads toward the source of the noise.
A figure dropped down from a massive tree that stretched high into the clouds, its thick branches blotting out the sky like a heavy curtain.
Tap.
A crisp, clean landing echoed through the dense woods.
A man stepped into the light. He wore a face identical to Son Goku's, yet the malice radiating from his presence was entirely different.
This person was Goku Black. However, he wasn't the exact same Goku Black that Son Goten remembered from his past.
With slow, deliberate steps, Goku Black sauntered toward the two Saiyans. As he passed the unconscious Monaka-Zamasu, who lay sprawled in the dirt with his fate up in the air, he cast a sideways glance full of sheer disgust.
"Tch." Goku Black scoffed, crossing his arms. "And here I thought this guy might actually be useful. Who would've guessed he'd be this pathetic? He even begged to join... what an absolute joke."
Despite his harsh mocking, Monaka-Zamasu was still a teammate for Universe 10, which was why Goku Black had bothered to deflect those blasts a moment ago.
With a casual flick of his boot, Goku Black kicked Monaka-Zamasu's limp body away, clearing him out of the immediate area.
Only then did he fix his gaze on Son Goten and Bulla.
The corner of his mouth twitched upward into a mocking smirk.
"Oh? Judging by those looks, you two seem to recognize me. Though I assume the one you're thinking of is a version of me from some other timeline."
Goku Black shook his head slightly, letting out a small, dramatic sigh.
"To date, I've personally run into nine different versions of myself across the various universes."
He didn't seem to care how they reacted, casually muttering the facts to himself as if reviewing a boring report.
However, neither Son Goten nor Bulla bought a single word coming out of his mouth.
Their eyes remained fixed on him, heavy with caution and deep revulsion.
Seeing that black tunic paired with Son Goku's exact face made it personal.
The raw hatred they had kept buried deep inside instantly flared right back to life.
Bulla clenched her fists so hard that thick veins throbbed along her forearms.
Grinding her teeth, she spat: "So what if you have?"
Her voice cut through the air like ice, dripping with enough venom to trigger an attack at any second.
Then she bared her teeth and snapped: "In my eyes, every single Zamasu is exactly the same!"
"Just like my brother said, you bastards are rotten to the core! We don't know the full story of what went down in Universe 10… Or how a freak like Zamasu managed to worm his way into becoming a Supreme Kai. But I know damn well there's some massive, disgusting plot hiding behind all of this!"
Bulla glared holes through Goku Black, making absolutely no effort to hide her distrust and hatred.
The corner of Goku Black's mouth hitched higher.
"Heh, a plot?"
His cold eyes remained totally detached.
"Call it whatever pleases you. It makes no difference to me."
"The only objective here is to win this tournament. Why should we waste time worrying about anything else?"
For some reason, hearing those words from Goku Black's mouth sounded completely bizarre.
Beneath that calm facade hid deep, dark intentions that no one else could parse.
"Cut the crap! If you've got the guts, then put up your hands!"
Bulla's temper finally blew.
With a fierce yell, she launched herself forward like an arrow snapping off a bowstring.
Her body blurred into a jagged streak of golden lightning, tearing straight at Goku Black at blinding speed.
A sharp, sonic whistle ripped through the forest.
Blinding golden energy erupted wildly around her.
In a fraction of a second, she forced her power up and went Super Saiyan.
BOOM!
A heavy, explosive shockwave followed.
Bulla's fist, packing enough raw power to level mountain ranges and shatter oceans, crashed toward Goku Black.
The sheer pressure of the incoming punch kicked up violent gales, forcing the very air to warp around the trajectory of her fist.
BOOM!
Goku Black caught the full force of the punch directly with his chest.
The impact drove his boots through the dirt, forcing him back several paces in a row.
Bulla's fist stayed locked against his ribs, keeping the crushing pressure pinned down without letting up.
It was obvious Goku Black was just testing her limits.
Suddenly, his sliding heels ground to a halt.
Whoosh!
A flare of golden light flashed.
Goku Black matched her, powering up into a standard Super Saiyan.
"Your raw strength is decent, but there's still a massive wall between us," Goku Black sneered.
Bulla's eyebrows knitted together in pure rage.
"AAAAHHHH!"
Vrrr, shiiin!
Golden light violently detonated around her body.
The furry tail wrapped around her waist snapped free, whipping through the air.
Bulla surged instantly into Super Saiyan 4.
The destructive force behind her extended arm doubled in power.
Her knuckles drove even deeper into Goku Black's chest.
Only then did Goku Black realize he had completely miscalculated her strength.
He snapped his head down, his pupils shrinking in sudden shock.
Bulla clearly had no intention of backing off.
Her goal was dead simple, she was trying to punch a hole right through his heart.
Goku Black finally stopped holding back his real power.
If he kept playing around, this girl was actually going to kill him.
Whoosh!
Goku Black tapped into the dark divine energy in his core, bursting directly into his Rosé form.
The sudden sight of that pink aura hit a nerve deep inside Bulla.
Grim memories she had spent years trying to bury flashed through her mind.
By triggering the Rosé transformation, Goku Black bought himself a brief moment of breathing room.
However, that relief lasted for less than a second.
Another terrifying weight crashed down on him like a collapsing mountain range.
It pinned him down so heavily that the air caught in his throat.
Before he could react, Bulla's entire body became engulfed in a jagged layer of wild, blue flames.
Super Saiyan 4 Berserk Mode ignited instantly!
"AAAAHHHHH!"
Goku Black let out a raw, agonizing scream.
The searing heat tearing through his chest became completely unbearable.
"You bitch! AHHH!"
Pfft!
A dark spray of blood coughed past his lips.
At that moment, blinding pain completely hijacked Goku Black's senses.
He tried to force more power up from his core to break the hold.
But his muscles wouldn't respond, feeling as though they were locked down by heavy chains.
The body simply refused to follow his mental commands.
"N-No way! This body belongs to Son Goku!"
Goku Black shrieked in absolute denial.
His eyes strained so hard the veins looked ready to burst.
In the next heartbeat, he turned his head and bellowed toward the massive tree nearby:
"Damn it! If you don't step in right now, I'm getting knocked out!"
Right on cue, the bark of the giant tree flushed a bright pink.
Dozens of rose-colored energy spheres materialized, raining down directly toward Bulla.
Faced with the sudden, dense barrage, Bulla had no choice but to leap back and abort her attack.
(End Of This Chapter)
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