Fuwa's eyes widened.
He sprang backward just as Zamasu's energy blade pierced the space where his chest had been. The Supreme Kai immediately countered, fixing Zamasu with a sharp glare as an invisible wave of divine power closed around him.
Zamasu smirked and swept his blade through the air. The unseen force split apart before it could touch him.
Fuwa understood the difference between them at once.
He abandoned the fight and activated Kai Kai, but Zamasu was already moving. Just as Fuwa's body began to fade, the purple blade punched through his heart.
"Agh…"
Fuwa's escape failed, leaving him impaled on Zamasu's arm.
"You thought you could run?" Zamasu asked with a cold laugh. "I know every technique a Supreme Kai can use."
The color drained from Fuwa's face as his life slipped away. The pain began to fade with it, replaced by a strange sense of weightlessness.
"Why?" he managed. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because I'm tired of gods like you standing in my way," Zamasu replied. "I will rule this timeline myself, according to my own will. As long as you remain alive, you'll only interfere."
"My student… won't let you get away with this."
Zamasu paused. "Your student?"
"Goku."
Zamasu's expression shifted.
"Goku…"
Fuwa suddenly stepped forward.
The energy blade sank even deeper into his chest, but he ignored it and wrapped both arms around Zamasu.
Zamasu's pupils contracted.
Fuwa's body grew scorching hot.
Then it began to swell.
"No—!"
The Supreme Kai detonated himself.
The explosion tore across the Sacred World of the Kai and swallowed them both in fire. Zamasu's scream cut through the blast as the force ripped into his body.
When the smoke cleared, he lay broken on the ground, his clothes shredded and his skin burned raw.
"That bastard…" Zamasu spat through clenched teeth. "He blew himself up."
His entire body trembled.
He had nearly died killing one Supreme Kai. If he stayed there much longer, his injuries might finish the job.
Zamasu forced himself to activate Kai Kai and escaped to the Sacred World of the Kai in Universe 10.
The moment he appeared, blood poured from his mouth.
The Zamasu native to that timeline stared at him in shock.
"Help me," the wounded Zamasu gasped.
The local Zamasu quickly recognized his own face.
"You're me… from another timeline?"
"Yes."
He rushed forward and began healing him.
As a Supreme Kai apprentice, the local Zamasu possessed healing abilities of his own. Within a minute, the burns vanished, the wounds closed, and his counterpart's strength returned.
Gowasu was nowhere nearby. He had retired to the temple to enjoy his tea, leaving the two alone.
"What happened to you?" the local Zamasu asked.
His counterpart told him everything.
He described the timeline he had discovered, his plan to rule it, and the murders of the Supreme Kais across the other universes.
The local Zamasu listened in stunned silence.
The scale of the plan was almost difficult to comprehend.
"Well?" the visiting Zamasu asked with a smile. "Will you join me? Together, we can rule this timeline and reshape it however we please."
The local Zamasu hesitated.
Then his mouth curved into a smile.
"Of course."
"Excellent." The visiting Zamasu clenched his fist. "With both of us working together, nothing will stand in our way."
"So every Supreme Kai outside Universe 10 is dead?" the local Zamasu asked.
"Yes. Once a Supreme Kai dies, the linked God of Destruction disappears, and their Angel falls dormant. The greatest threats are already gone. No one in this timeline can stop us now."
"Then Gowasu is the last one." The local Zamasu's eyes hardened. "I've wanted that old fool dead for a long time."
"Take me to him."
The two Zamasus entered the temple together.
Gowasu sat inside, calmly drinking tea. When he saw a second version of his apprentice, he blinked in surprise.
"Well, this is unexpected. Are you Zamasu from another timeline?"
"I am." The visiting Zamasu bowed his head. "And I came with urgent news."
Gowasu set down his cup.
"What happened?"
"Supreme Kais across several universes have died under mysterious circumstances. I came here to warn you. Please be careful."
He dropped to one knee as he spoke.
The local Zamasu nearly stared.
His counterpart sounded so sincere that even he almost believed the lie.
Gowasu's expression turned grave.
"Do you know who is responsible?"
"Not yet."
"Stand, Zamasu."
Gowasu stepped forward and offered him a hand.
Zamasu accepted it.
Then his other hand became a blade.
The purple edge tore through Gowasu's chest and burst from his back.
Gowasu gasped as his strength began to drain away.
"Zamasu… what are you…"
"I've wanted to kill you myself for a long time," Zamasu said. "Die."
He drove the blade deeper.
Gowasu cried out, then looked toward the apprentice native to his timeline. The other Zamasu watched without the slightest reaction.
That cold indifference hurt more than the wound.
Where had he gone wrong?
"Why?" Gowasu asked weakly. "Why would you do this?"
"I'm sick of you." Zamasu pulled the blade free. "You were never worthy of being my teacher."
Gowasu collapsed, coughing blood as his body convulsed against the floor.
A terrible realization crossed his face.
"You killed the Supreme Kais in the other universes…"
Zamasu smiled.
"You always were perceptive."
"If I failed you somehow, then tell me." Gowasu struggled to speak. "You can still stop this. Don't throw everything away."
"Stop now?" Zamasu scoffed. "There's nothing left to go back to."
He raised both hands, forming a larger blade above Gowasu's head.
"For old times' sake, I'll make this quick."
The blade plunged through Gowasu's skull.
With his death, every Supreme Kai in the timeline had been eliminated.
Zamasu turned to his counterpart and offered him a hand.
"Now we gather the seven Super Dragon Balls and make our first wish."
The local Zamasu took it.
"Agreed."
They traveled to Zuno's Palace and demanded the locations of the Super Dragon Balls. Faced with two murderous Supreme Kai apprentices, Zuno had little choice but to cooperate.
Once they had the coordinates, collecting the Dragon Balls was simple. Both Zamasus could use Kai Kai, allowing them to cross the universes with ease.
When all seven Super Dragon Balls had been gathered, the local Zamasu asked, "What will our first wish be?"
"You'll become immortal."
The local Zamasu looked at him in surprise.
"Immortal?"
"I learned something while killing the other Supreme Kais. We may be powerful, but we're nowhere near invincible. You saw the condition I was in when I arrived."
Zamasu placed a hand against his chest, remembering Fuwa's explosion.
"One of us needs a body that can never die. Your healing abilities are better than mine. Once you're immortal, you can keep restoring me no matter how long we fight."
"And you don't want immortality for yourself?"
"I have another plan." Zamasu's smile returned. "I intend to exchange bodies with a Saiyan."
"A Saiyan?" His counterpart frowned. "Why would you want the body of a mortal?"
"Have you ever heard of a Saiyan named Ken from Universe 7?"
The local Zamasu shook his head.
"In my timeline, Ken trained until he became a true god. His power is beyond anything I can hope to challenge."
Even speaking the name brought fear into Zamasu's eyes.
"Then why not take Ken's body?"
"Because he doesn't exist in this timeline. If he did, I would never have chosen this world for my plans."
"He's really that dangerous?"
"The less he knows, the better. If he ever discovers what we're doing, the consequences will be disastrous."
Zamasu's expression darkened.
"Goku has also mastered Ultra Instinct. That proves he has the potential to reach the level of an Angel through training alone. Once I possess his body, I'll be able to draw out that potential far faster than he ever could. I am already a god. With a Saiyan's body, my power may rise beyond all limits."
"Then let's begin."
The two Zamasus summoned Super Shenron and used their first wish to make the local Zamasu immortal.
Golden light filled the void.
The wish was granted, and the seven Super Dragon Balls scattered across Universes 6 and 7, turning to stone as they flew away.
The newly immortal Zamasu examined his body with delight.
"I can feel it. This body will never age or die."
His counterpart nodded, equally pleased.
Then the immortal Zamasu glanced toward the vanished Dragon Balls.
"They've turned to stone. How long until we can use them again?"
"One year."
"That long?"
"It doesn't matter." Zamasu raised his hand and displayed the Time Ring on his finger. "We don't have to wait."
His counterpart immediately understood.
"We travel one year into the future, gather the Dragon Balls again, and make another wish."
They crossed through time, visited Zuno once more, and obtained the Super Dragon Balls' new locations.
Before long, all seven had been gathered again.
Super Shenron emerged, his colossal body stretching across the cosmos.
"What is your wish?"
"Exchange my body with Goku's," Zamasu commanded.
Super Shenron's golden eyes focused on him.
"Do you mean the Saiyan from Universe 7 who died from a heart virus?"
Zamasu stared up at him.
"He died?"
"He's already dead?" the immortal Zamasu asked.
"The dead do not possess living bodies," Super Shenron replied. "Your wish cannot be granted as stated."
Zamasu clenched his jaw.
"Then bring him back to life."
Super Shenron's eyes flashed.
"Your wish has been granted. Farewell."
His vast form dissolved into seven streams of light, and the Super Dragon Balls scattered once again.
Zamasu watched them disappear.
"We'll have to travel forward another year."
His counterpart said nothing.
"This time, there won't be any problems," Zamasu added.
They moved one more year into the future and repeated the entire process. Zuno revealed the locations, the Dragon Balls were gathered, and Super Shenron was summoned for the third time.
Zamasu raised his head.
"Exchange my body with Goku's."
Super Shenron narrowed his golden eyes.
"You again?"
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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