The arena.
Forest Module.
The once-lush forest had completely vanished, leaving nothing but scorched, charred tree stumps scattered across the ground.
Above the battlefield, two blurred figures darted back and forth. One moment, they were clashing head-on; the next, they had already blasted away from each other. Their speed was so incredible that it was nearly impossible to follow them.
Goten and Black Vegito were locked in a desperate battle. Goten's body was already riddled with wounds; Black Vegito had pierced him multiple times, leaving bloody holes across his body as blood continuously poured from them.
Yet, unbelievably... even after suffering such horrific injuries, Goten continued to fight as if he couldn't even feel the damage. It was as though he hadn't realized his body was already on the verge of collapse.
Black Vegito, meanwhile, stood in the raging wind. For the first time, surprise and caution appeared in his eyes. Facing this boy, he felt like he was fighting someone even crazier than himself.
He spat onto the ground, his saliva stained with blood.
"That lunatic..." Black Vegito cursed through gritted teeth. "If I wasn't worried about being erased, I'd have killed him already."
Not far away, Bulla slowly recovered enough strength to sit up. Looking at Goten's battered body, her eyes began to shimmer with tears.
"G... Goten..." She could barely get the words out, her heart aching. This younger brother, who had suffered through a tragedy so similar to her own, was risking his life to protect her.
Yet she had no idea that Black Vegito had already set his sights on her. A mocking smile spread across his face as his gaze locked onto Bulla.
"Forget it. I'll deal with the easy one first. I'll eliminate her."
The moment he finished speaking, Black Vegito vanished, rushing straight toward Bulla. Sensing an overwhelming aura closing in, Bulla looked up just as Black Vegito's face appeared right before her.
Whoosh…
But in the next instant, Goten stepped in front of her without hesitation. His voice rang out with absolute resolve.
"If you want to touch her... you'll have to step over my dead body first!"
Black Vegito had completely lost his patience. This fearless brat had once again gotten in his way. Grinding his teeth, he roared, "Are you ever going to stop getting in my way?! Fine! Then I'll kill you! To hell with the tournament rules!"
At that moment, Black Vegito completely forgot Zamasu's warning.
Meanwhile, in Universe 10's Observation Room, Zamasu suddenly opened his eyes. "You worthless fool!" he cursed in frustration.
On the battlefield, a blinding light rapidly gathered at Black Vegito's fingertip.
Whoosh!
The energy beam shot straight toward Goten. But just as Goten prepared to block it, Black Vegito suddenly altered its trajectory. The beam curved, shooting directly at Bulla instead.
Bulla's eyes went blank as a crushing sense of helplessness overwhelmed her. She slowly closed her eyes and waited for death to arrive.
Shnk!
The beam pierced flesh, spraying blood into the air. But then, time itself seemed to stand still.
As Bulla slowly opened her eyes again, the sight before her left her completely frozen. She stared in disbelief at the familiar figure standing in front of her. The brilliant energy beam had mercilessly pierced Goten's body.
Blood streamed from the wound like a fountain, dripping onto the ground and staining the earth beneath him red.
Yet even after suffering such a devastating injury, he remained standing. Using his own body as a shield, he blocked every threat that could have reached Bulla.
Bulla's mind went completely blank. Goten's body was in a horrifying state; countless holes covered him from head to toe, some so deep that bone was visible. Blood poured continuously from them, soaking his gi crimson.
"GOTEN!!!!"
Finally snapping out of her daze, Bulla let out a heart-wrenching scream. Driven by pure rage, an immense power burst from within her, launching her to her feet as she once again transformed into Super Saiyan 4 Boundary Breakthrough.
Tears burst from her eyes like a broken dam, scattering through the air and landing one after another on Goten's pale face.
Hearing Bulla's cry, Goten struggled to turn his head. The first thing he saw was her tear-streaked face, filled with grief and terror, rushing toward him.
"N-No... No!!! I'LL KILL YOU!!"
Bulla threw a furious punch at Black Vegito, but he caught it effortlessly with one hand. Grabbing her wrist, Black Vegito sneered, "Relax. I know exactly how much force to use. He won't die. But once he's eliminated... I can't promise he'll ever be able to stand up again."
With that, he drove a heavy punch into Bulla's stomach. The impact instantly knocked her out of her transformed state, her body already pushed far beyond its limits.
"Y... you bastard..." Goten managed to force out the words through trembling lips.
Just as he reached the very edge of collapse, the purple light high above suddenly exploded.
BOOM!!
A thunderous blast echoed across the sky as countless multicolored fragments rained down. They were pieces of the barrier. In an instant, the entire sky was dyed violet, and the rosy light disappeared completely.
The entire Forest Module fell silent. An overwhelming aura descended from above, causing Black Vegito to turn toward the sky. But he saw no one, only countless fragments of the shattered barrier drifting downward. Then, as though nothing had happened, the pieces rapidly reassembled themselves.
Black Vegito snorted. "Tch. What a cheap trick. For a second there, I actually thought something had happened."
He turned back toward Goten. And the instant he looked, his scalp went numb.
Goten was gone.
The very thing he had feared had just happened. Panicked, Black Vegito frantically scanned the battlefield. Finally, he spotted a figure surrounded by a violent purple aura.
The newcomer was gently laying Goten and Bulla's unconscious bodies on the ground. After making sure they were safe, the man slowly stood up and turned around.
His eyes locked onto Black Vegito with unmistakable killing intent.
(End Of This Chapter)
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