Vegeta fixed his sharp, hawk-like gaze on Black Vegito standing before him. At that moment, a faint rustling sound came from behind.
"Uncle... Vegeta...?" Goten muttered in a tiny, trembling voice.
He was utterly shocked. The first thing that caught his attention was Vegeta's completely transformed appearance.
A powerful, razor-sharp aura radiated from him, sending chills down anyone's spine. The second thing that surprised him was why Vegeta had suddenly appeared here at all.
But his injuries were simply too severe. His body was so weak that forcing out those two words was all he could manage.
Hearing Goten call out to him, Vegeta maintained his stern expression, but he gave a slight nod in response.
Then, he slowly turned his head to look at the boy. Goten's body was covered in deep wounds of every size, some still bleeding nonstop. It was a horrifying sight.
Compared to him, Vegeta's daughter, Bulla, didn't have a single major injury. That was entirely thanks to Goten protecting her.
Goten and Bulla had always been close, and as a father, Vegeta had been paying attention all along. What Goten had done today raised Vegeta's opinion of him once again.
Finally, Vegeta spoke. "Goten, you did very well."
The words hit Goten like a thunderbolt. Ever since he had come to this timeline, Vegeta had never addressed him this way; he had always called him
"Kakarot's younger son."
It was obvious now: Goten had earned Vegeta's recognition. Just like back when Vegeta acknowledged Gohan, changing from "Kakarot's son" to simply "Gohan."
Goten froze for a moment, then tried to force a smile. But the agonizing pain wracking his body made it impossible. All he could do was give a slight nod to show he had heard the praise.
Even that simple movement made his facial muscles twitch uncontrollably. At that moment, Goten felt as if every inch of his skin and bones were being pierced by countless steel needles.
The pain was unbearable; forget smiling, even speaking a single word would trigger a heart-rending wave of agony.
At the same time, Bulla's exhausted body was barely hanging on, supported only by the last traces of her remaining power. Her tightly shut eyelids trembled slightly, as if a flash of lightning had streaked through her mind, jolting her awake.
"Goten!!" Bulla used every bit of strength she had left to call out his name. Her voice was weak, but the worry and panic in it were unmistakable.
However, when she struggled to open her eyes, a scene that felt both familiar and unfamiliar entered her view. A blurry figure stood before her. As she blinked repeatedly and tried to focus, the silhouette gradually became clearer until, finally, Bulla saw him plainly.
The person standing in front of her was her father!
"Dad?" Bulla let out a disbelieving whisper, her heart filled with shock and confusion.
The man before her was surrounded by a mysterious purple aura that made him look both imposing and awe-inspiring. But no matter how much he had changed, Bulla could recognize her father at a glance.
The moment she saw Vegeta, all the strength she had been forcing herself to maintain finally collapsed.
It was as if she had found the safest harbor in the world. Without hesitation, she threw herself into Vegeta's broad, warm embrace. Tears burst forth like a broken dam, and sobs soon followed.
Vegeta pulled Bulla into his arms and gently patted her back. The proud Saiyan Prince had spent his entire life giving all of his tenderness to only two women: one was his wife, Bulma, and the other was his daughter, Bulla.
---
At that moment, everything unfolding before them was displayed clearly on the enormous screen inside Universe 7's Observation Room.
Beerus had been lounging comfortably on a sofa, but when he saw what was happening on the screen, he couldn't help frowning slightly. His eyes stayed locked on Vegeta as an expression of disbelief spread across his face.
"Vegeta has a side like this?" he muttered. "How have I never seen it before?"
Whis chuckled beside him.
"Indeed, Lord Beerus. Look at how gentle Vegeta is with his daughter. He's practically a completely different person from the cold and ruthless Saiyan we usually know."
Beerus took a deep breath, trying to calm his surprise. "Then why has he never acted like this toward his own son?"
As soon as he said it, Beerus realized something felt off. He quickly recalled what he had seen in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber before.
Back then, Vegeta had been unbelievably strict with Trunks. Calling it harsh would have been an understatement; as long as Trunks hadn't collapsed from exhaustion, Vegeta would keep forcing him to train.
His attitude was basically: 'if you're going to train, train until you're dead.'
Meanwhile, Bulla had also been training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, yet Vegeta rarely asked about her progress and mostly let her do as she pleased. The more Beerus compared the two, the more unfair it seemed to Trunks. It almost made Trunks look like an accident.
"Ho ho ho, Lord Beerus," Whis said teasingly. "You are a god. How could you truly understand the feelings of mortals? Although, if you had never become a god, perhaps you might be able to relate to them."
This time, however, Whis's joke didn't earn the usual complaint or comeback from Beerus. Instead, it seemed to strike something deep inside him.
He suddenly fell silent. Lowering his head slightly, he softly murmured, "Relate to them..."
The words were so quiet they were almost impossible to hear, yet the confusion and contemplation behind them were unmistakable.
Seconds passed. Beerus stood there motionless, like a statue. His gaze gradually grew distant, as though he were looking beyond the space in front of him and into a faraway past. Memories he had long buried and avoided were slowly rising back to the surface.
Then, the next moment, Beerus turned to Whis and shot back, "Hmph. Whis, you talk as if 'you' can relate to them."
(End Of This Chapter)
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