"Goten, did you notice it?" Bulla asked softly. Her bright eyes were fixed on him, carrying a hint of doubt and contemplation.
Hearing her question, Goten turned toward her and met her gaze.
"What?" he asked, looking confused and slightly furrowing his brow. "Big Sis Bulla, I don't really get what you mean."
Bulla blinked and lightly pursed her lips before explaining, "I mean, this guy's strength doesn't seem as exaggerated as we originally thought. From what I've seen so far, he doesn't feel nearly as powerful as the Dark Humans we encountered before when they were in the same state."
Goten nodded thoughtfully after hearing her analysis. Then he scratched the back of his head and smiled apologetically.
"Sorry, Big Sis Bulla, but all that happened before I came to this timeline. So I'm not really clear on the details. I only heard my dad mention it briefly." After saying that, he let out an embarrassed laugh.
Only then did Bulla suddenly realize that Goten hadn't been involved in that incident at all. But after thinking about it for a moment, something still felt off.
"Huh? But you just said you'd seen it before!" Bulla stared at him in confusion.
Goten grinned slyly. "That was to back you up, Big Sis Bulla. It makes you look cooler."
Hearing that, Bulla felt a warm surge in her heart, like sunlight in spring. She nodded with a pleased smile.
"Well, alright then. So that's what it was. You played along pretty well. If something like this happens again, we'll have to keep up the teamwork."
Goten immediately nodded. "Okay, got it."
The two lowered their voices and chatted quietly. Every move they made was clearly visible to Dark Vegeta in the distance. His sharp eyes were fixed on them, as if trying to uncover some secret from their behavior.
Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, the sight of the two laughing together, a boy and a girl, made it look like they were flirting.
"Tch! I'll admit you've got some skill, but aren't you getting a little too full of yourselves?"
The moment he finished speaking, Dark Vegeta vanished from where he stood, leaving behind only a streak of pink light. Brilliant flashes erupted from both hands as he hurled two energy spheres. Crackling with electricity, they tore through the air at incredible speed.
In just a second, their size expanded tenfold. The energy balls rapidly closed in on Goten and Bulla.
Just before impact, the two split apart in opposite directions.
BOOM!!
The forest was thrown into chaos by the overwhelming energy. Leaves rained down from every direction. The already fragile woodland was engulfed in a blazing inferno, ignited by the aftermath of Dark Vegeta's explosion. In moments, the entire forest became a sea of fire as thick smoke billowed skyward.
Dark Vegeta immediately began searching for Goten and Bulla's location again. But at that moment, a voice sounded behind him.
"What are you looking for? We're right here!"
BAM!!
Bulla's fist shot toward Dark Vegeta's head. Fortunately, his reactions were quick enough. He spun around and caught her punch. Their arms groaned under the force of the collision.
But at that exact moment, Dark Vegeta suddenly felt a powerful energy burning behind him. His heart skipped a beat. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Goten.
Not good!
Sure enough, the thing he feared most happened. Goten's fist was already less than a centimeter from his head.
Dark Vegeta instantly flared his aura, hoping the resulting shockwave would slow Goten's punch enough to create an opening for a counterattack. But things were far from that simple.
Red flames suddenly ignited around Goten as well. The speed of his punch skyrocketed in an instant, shattering Dark Vegeta's plan.
BAM!!
The punch landed squarely on Dark Vegeta's head. His body went flying through the air, limbs flailing wildly.
A flash of light exploded through his mind, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. He desperately shook his head, trying to regain his senses.
Two seconds later, he finally recovered.
For an ordinary person, two seconds was nothing. But for Goten and Bulla, two seconds was an eternity. They could accomplish countless things in that brief moment.
When Dark Vegeta opened his eyes again, he immediately narrowed them to a tiny slit. The intense light was so blinding that he could barely keep them open. The temperature around him felt strangely high. Countless rings of light, large and small, surrounded him.
Then, two piercing shouts reached his ears.
"Kamehameha!!!"
"Final Flash!!"
This time, he understood exactly what was happening. He instantly brought his hands in front of his chest and launched a counterattack. A pink shockwave burst from between his palms.
The three energy attacks collided head-on.
BOOM...!!
The clash of such overwhelming power plunged the entire Forest Module into disaster. Violent tremors shook the land. The ground split apart as a massive crack appeared.
Goku Black still had a sliver of strength left. Using every last ounce of it, he dragged himself away from the fissure. Beside him, Monaka Zamasu remained completely unconscious.
Looking at the crack, Goku Black felt as though it were a giant beast ready to swallow someone whole. Beneath it was a blinding white glow. Anyone who fell down there would undoubtedly be eliminated.
He managed to move away from the edge. But Monaka Zamasu wasn't so lucky. As the crack widened, it swallowed him whole.
『Universe 10's Monaka has been eliminated.』
In the end, Goku Black could only watch helplessly as the Monaka Zamasu he had just saved was eliminated anyway.
In the distance, a brilliant flash of light drew his attention. Dark Vegeta was fighting two opponents at once, yet Goku Black could do nothing to help.
Still, there was one encouraging thing: even while facing two enemies, Dark Vegeta wasn't at a disadvantage.
"As expected... that guy really is strong," Goku Black muttered.
But in the very next second, his eyes widened.
The Kamehameha and Final Flash suddenly merged into one.
BOOM...!!
Dark Vegeta's pink shockwave was instantly obliterated. The blue energy dragon wrapped in golden light charged forward and swallowed Dark Vegeta whole.
Goku Black's face turned pale. He froze where he stood.
Crackle... crackle...
A strange sound came from below. Goku Black lowered his head.
The fissure beneath him was spreading again, the brilliant light below expanding farther and farther. Underneath lay a bottomless abyss.
"No... NO!!!"
Goku Black fell into utter despair. But the crack showed no mercy. It swallowed him whole.
His desperate scream echoed throughout the entire Forest Module.
(End of This Chapter)
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