Vegeta wandered around the empty arena module by himself. Without realizing it, he completely overlooked the crucial entrance to the promotion path hidden nearby.
Earlier, after a fierce battle, Vegeta had successfully defeated Toppo from Universe 10 and Dyspo from Universe 11. Now, he was the only person left on the vast Plain Module.
For some reason, an indescribable sense of unease slowly crept into his heart. Everything looked perfectly calm on the surface, but his instincts told him something wasn't right.
Standing quietly at the edge of the arena, Vegeta stared into the seemingly bottomless abyss below. He frowned slightly as thoughts raced through his mind.
He clearly remembered throwing Cabba off the arena himself, but in that brief instant, he had definitely sensed something strange. At the time, Toppo's relentless assault had forced him to focus entirely on the fight, so he hadn't paid it much attention.
Now that he finally had a moment to breathe, Vegeta decided to investigate. He slowly closed his eyes, calming his mind as he carefully replayed every detail of what had happened.
Gradually, a scene resurfaced from his memory. At the exact moment he threw Cabba off the stage... a blurry figure had flashed by. It had appeared so quickly that it was almost impossible to make out.
"...No. Something's definitely wrong."
The deeper he dug into his memories, the stronger his suspicion became. It felt as though an invisible hand was manipulating everything from the shadows, yet he couldn't see who was behind it.
But now, there wasn't the slightest trace left. After checking again, he confirmed that he truly was the only one on the Plain Module.
Just as Vegeta was lost in thought, the entire Plain Module suddenly began to shake violently. Vegeta's eyes snapped open as his surroundings trembled once more. A hint of surprise flashed across his face.
"Could that guy who appeared for an instant earlier be behind this?"
But he quickly dismissed the idea. Turning toward the edge of the module, he realized the source of the vibrations was coming from beyond the boundary. With a quick leap, Vegeta reached the edge in an instant.
Now he was certain. He'd been wrong. The tremors were coming from the neighboring module!
Vegeta placed his hand against the barrier separating the two modules and closed his eyes. Suddenly, two familiar auras flashed through his mind.
"It's Kakarot's youngest son's aura... and Bulla's!"
"They've both transformed into Super Saiyan 4 Boundary Breakthrough!"
But what could have forced them into that form? That was the real question.
Vegeta closed his eyes again and concentrated, carefully sensing the faint aura leaking over from the neighboring module. Seconds passed. Finally, a tiny response reached his sharp senses.
To his surprise... the aura belonged to Zamasu. Or rather, it contained two distinct yet connected presences.
One of them was unmistakable; it was Goku Black's aura. But it was unbelievably weak, like a candle flame about to be snuffed out.
The other aura shocked Vegeta even more. It was... his own.
The feeling was incredibly unsettling, as if he were facing another version of himself, one that had already fallen under Zamasu's control. Even so, he could clearly tell that this aura, which belonged to his own body, was also extremely weak.
Vegeta quietly let out a sigh of relief.
"Good. Whether it's Goku Black or the body Zamasu stole from me, both of them are on their last legs right now."
"Looks like Bulla's training really paid off."
Thinking that, a gentle, proud smile spread across Vegeta's face, the kind of smile a father wears when watching his child grow.
Time slowly passed. Vegeta was about to return to where he had been investigating before. But less than a second after turning around, he suddenly froze.
His head snapped back. Something wasn't right.
Images of Goku Black and Black Vegeta flashed through his mind.
"Kakarot after his body was stolen... and me after my body was stolen..."
"..."
"Don't tell me...?!"
Vegeta immediately placed his hand on the barrier again. His thoughts came to a complete halt. His eyes trembled violently.
In his mind, the two auras merged into one, and the image of Black Vegito appeared before him.
"Damn you, Zamasu!!"
At that moment, Vegeta clearly sensed Black Vegito's aura coming from the neighboring module. Veins bulged across his forehead.
"My Bulla!!!"
"Zamasu! If you so much as lay a finger on her, I'll never forgive you!"
"I don't care if it breaks the rules! I'll kill you myself!"
A crimson aura erupted around Vegeta's body. The red flames of ki surged higher and higher, soon dyeing the entire damaged Plain Module red.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!"
Vegeta's power continued to rise.
At the same time, in Universe 7's Observation Room, Beerus sensed Vegeta's aura. He immediately stood up from his seat.
"Whis, that's Vegeta's aura, isn't it?"
Whis nodded. "Yes, Lord Beerus."
Beerus pointed at the screen. "Why are they still broadcasting my daughter's fight with that guy? Can't they switch the feed? I want to see what's happening with Vegeta."
Whis shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Lord Beerus. Marcarita set the broadcast rules. Once a module has only one participant left, or certain conditions are met, it is no longer shown."
"Though judging by your reaction, Lord Beerus... you've noticed the change in Vegeta's aura, haven't you? He's extremely angry right now. The reason is most likely connected to his daughter's battle. Hehe... It seems Vegeta really is a devoted father."
Hearing that, Beerus's eyes lit up.
"That aura... Could it be...?"
He stopped halfway through his sentence, then a satisfied grin spread across his face.
Kaioshin Shin, standing behind him, looked completely bewildered. "Lord Beerus... what do you mean?"
Still smiling, Beerus revealed something that left Shin utterly stunned.
"He's trying to break through the barrier... and force his way into the module where his daughter is."
(End Of This Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 60 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395